The Guardian Prophesy
by LionKingLibrarian
Summary: The guardian Prophesy is a story about a man who's airplane crashes in the Pridelands. The character lives with the Pride. It is set just before Simba's birth
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I did not write this story. It was written by D. Ritchie

While searching through my files on my computer I found this story that I read when I was 12. When I tried to find it online again I discovered that it was not avialable anymore. The site that had hosted it was old and not supported anymore. It was already hard enough to find online years ago. And the thought of me possibly having the only evedence of this amazing stories existance, and also that if I were to delete or lose this file that the story would dissapear from the univerese scared me to the core. Unsuprisingly I have not managed to find the author yet as this is a old story from 1996, back in the old Lion King fanfic days.

I am happy that I have been given a chance to save this story from extinction and share it with the world so that it will survive, remembered, inspire, enjoyed by the world. To make this story as much read as possible, I wil be splitting it up into 4 chapters. I will release it on this day, the 4th of august. The next chapter will be avialable on the 6th of august, and the 3rd will be avialable on the 10th of will have to keep a eye out for the anouncement of the fourth chapter. :)

If Any of you ever heard about the story or the author, then please leave a comment. Or leave a comment anyways to share with others what you think about this story!

I apologise about the layout that it is in on , but I do not know how to fix it, If I do, I will correct it.

Anyways, Enough talking, right. :) I give you The Guardian Prophecy,(Chapter One) by the amazing person, D. Ritchie.

Legal Stuff

If ever there was a company that didn't need to worry about people stealing

its stuff, it would be Disney (or is that DisneyÔ?) It seems, though, that

people have been getting the iron boot from Eisner and Co. out in sunny

Cali in return for their efforts to give back what they've gleaned from a

timeless and classic story, so I guess it's only proper (and safer) to add

a disclaimer to the work. So…

Dear Mike,

I am hereby acknowledging myself and informing all others who handle this

document that The Lion King production is copyright Walt Disney Co. All

characters, script lines, lyrics, musical scores, and story concepts from

The Lion King and subsequent affiliated publications are property of the

Walt Disney Co. I sincerely hope the best for you and your company now that

you are firmly entrenched as dictator… er, CEO, and I hope your reign is

fruitful. My nephew says he loves the sweater you wear on Magical World as

it detracts from your glowering red eyes and pointy horns. My best to the

fam.

Hugs and Kisses,

D. Ritchie

My apologies for the cynicism, but I abhor legalities. I find it irritating

that Disney feels threatened by the very people who make it successful –

the diehard fans. On a lighter note, I'd like to mention that all

references to non-licensed, non-published (fan-fiction, in English) works

are addressed in the section below entitled "Where Credit is Due."

Where Credit is Due

It would be arrogant (not to mention inaccurate) to say that I was alone in

my efforts to produce The Guardian Prophesy. I wasn't. This work is the

result of inspiration garnered from an inordinate amount of Fan Fiction.

I'd like to take a moment to list just some of the works that offered

helpful insight into Prophesy.

The Visitor, by Gil Ruiz (who also edited Prophesy. Thanks-a-truck-load

Gil!)

Stranger in the Pride Lands, by Frank Calabraro.

Acceptance, by Jason Ahrens.

The Tales of Tanabi, by Joshua Templin.

The Lion Rogue, by Sam Simpson.

A Matter of Pride, by Christine Morgan.

There are many more, but I don't have a complete list of works, so I won't

continue. Let it simply be known that all of these works and the remaining

unlisted works contributed in some way, shape, or form to the development

of Prophesy.

Oh, and how could I forget?

The Chronicles of the Pridelands, by John Burkitt and David Morris

Wow, you two. Chronicles rocked, and that's all there is to it. My advise

to anyone who loves The Lion King is to go to your local libraries and

check out these books. If for some reason you can't find them there (I

can't imagine why you wouldn't be able to, though) you can go to The

Largest of All Text Archives concerning TLK at Ryan's Lion,

. /~MCGINNR/LIONKING and find them there.

About the Author

Wow. What do you say after finishing something like this other than 'Wow?'

I've written a lot of papers, but I don't think I've ever done something as

lengthy as Prophesy. Let me confess. I'm something of a fan. I don't

collect toys or dolls or cards, but I do think that The Lion King is

certainly the best work that's ever come out of Disney, probably the best

animated feature in the history of the world, and perhaps one of the

greatest stories ever told. My congrats to Walt and the Gang for this fine

piece of work. (Incidentally, I thought you guys should have gotten the

Academy Award for best movie in '94, but then the Gump boys would have gone

ballistic, right? Then imagine the Disabilities Lobbyists and... I shudder

to think about it.) Prophesy is the result of a request of sorts. Reading

through the fiction provided by all of the fans of The Lion King, I found

that one story addressed the notion of a human in the Pridelands. The story

description indicated that it lacked sophistication. On reading it, I found

myself wanting the human (Chad) to be deeper. I wanted him , in the words

of Tim Rice, to "Find his place on the path unwinding in the Circle of

Life." The idea was too juicy to let go, and so I set out to write my own

story, something I'd promised myself I wouldn't do when I started reading

this stuff. I didn't want to use Chad, though, so I got some wood out of

the garage and built my own character.

As far as style, I don't like James-Joyce-depth writing, so I avoided

really obscure symbolism and references to the aesthetics of life. If you

find any such references, please, for the love of God, email me at

ritchie so that I can take them out and replace them with something

more palatable.

Comments are entirely welcome, of course. You've got the address. Enough

about me, though. You didn't download this file to read about me, and so,

without further hesitation (aside from the other half of this page, which

I've opted not to fill for you the reader's benefit), I give you The

Guardian Prophesy. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed

writing it.

D. Ritchie - 10/10/96

The Guardian Prophesy

If we refuse to accept that anything is possible, then we

surrender our dreams and submit to convention, and nothing is

less remarkable than convention.

Fate must be mad. There was no other explanation. It wasn't the way that

Chicago's traffic lights always seemed to turn red when he was already an

hour late that told him so. It wasn't even the random incidents of people

meeting on obscure, rain-soaked street corners and falling in love that

made it that way. It wasn't necessarily the disease or the starvation that

plagued entire races to extinction. In the mind of one man who stood apart

from all others in more ways than one, it was that damned name. Who in

their right mind would name a child Palafox Aegisthus Sears?

At seven years old, he stopped trying to explain it and started trying to

analyze it. At eight, he stopped trying to analyze it and began to ignore

it. At ten, he realized he couldn't ignore it and started trying to analyze

it again. It had to mean something, he knew. Something beyond the fact that

his parents were a little tipsy when they'd made a decision that would

result in more than a few hard years for him in various public schools. A

name like that meant something, but exactly what had eluded him all of his

life. When the time came – if the time came – he was sure a monolithic

revelation would present itself to him, and so that was all the thought

he'd given the matter… that is, until a monolithic revelation unexpectedly

presented itself to him…

Fox glanced down at his rugged wilder-woodsman Rolex. It was time to be

getting back, he decided. He brought the yoke of the Cessna Skylark around

until the digital compass read due east. He looked quickly across the dash

of his aircraft. "Altitude… your looking good," he sang. "Fuel, check. Mix

is… mixed, I guess. Oil's…" he tapped the gauge. "Good enough. Nothin' can

stop me now…" He'd been having trouble with the aircraft recently, and he

was in the process of repairing it. The real bugs get worked out in the

air, he thought to himself after failing to get the 'real' bugs worked out

on the ground. Now that everything seemed to be running smoothly, he

relished the opportunity to relax.

"Magnificent," he declared as he glanced out the side of his aircraft. The

African evening. Ever since he was a boy, he had wanted nothing more than

what he had now. The savanna unfolded below him like a colorful photograph.

The constant thrum of the single propeller relaxed him even further. He sat

back in the Skylark's austere but familiar seat and thought casually about

the last few months.

Palafox Aegisthus, or Fox Aegis – even better, just Fox, as everyone had

called him since his youth – had arrived at the Serengeti earlier in the

year as part of a behavioral science research project on the social

initiatives of the African wildlife. Those were the precise words he used

when explaining this to the local authorities. Actually, he had no

intention of doing research, and he didn't even know what a social

initiative was, nor did he care. He'd simply wanted to be there, which

unfortunately wasn't the most widely accepted grounds for being granted

permission to enter the country of Batswana. "The last refugee of

uncorrupted life," he'd deemed the enchanting land. He was only twenty and

already had no family to speak of. He'd moved away from home at 18 when the

clashes with his father drove a sizable wedge between he and his family.

His relations in Chicago were sparse and his career as a salesperson feel

considerably short of his expectations in life, so the decision to do field

work came easily to him. Out here, he could be with what he truly admired.

The trees… the grass… the life.

This was life, he'd decided in his younger years. Not only that, it was

fun, which was far more important than life. After all, if the meaning of

life wasn't to have fun and live it up, then what was? An eternity of

schooling and college had brought him a great deal of knowledge and

experience, but the human, he was convinced, was the most pampered and

undeserving creature on the planet. The 'Rat Race' of getting a career in

order, settling down and having two cars and two-point-four kids didn't

appeal to him. Where's the life in that? he wondered. Where was the fun in

that? Spend your days working for a major corporation to build seemingly

useless thingamajigs to sell to an unsuspecting but waiting and wanting

public, and then go home at night to watch hours of programming in which

you yourself are sold seemingly useless thingamajigs. How conventional.

Out here, though, he could take life for what it was worth – grab it by the

lapels and stare it straight in the eye. With fascination he watched it

happening beneath him. The whole cycle was spinning endlessly below him.

The creatures were hunting for their food and caring for their young. One

day, their young would hunt for their own food and care for their own

young. No forty hour work weeks… no mortgage payments… no menial hassles

that plagued the human condition. Life was day to day, the way it was meant

to be lived. "Yes," he said with determination. "This is the place. God

lives in Africa."

He'd made his home in a village near Mehu where a humanitarian aid project

and a wildlife refuge made first-world supplies readily available. It was

perhaps the only area in Tanzania that had a well stocked and staffed

hospital, a resonable airstrip, and the sort of sundries Fox had found

convenient. Despite this, he was still living in a native-style run-down

shack, which naturally offered scarce luxury.

Excursions like this one occupied the majority of his time. It wasn't

uncommon for him to pack a week's worth of clothes and supplies and head

out into the uncharted savanna. Between such 'vacations', as he called

them, he would fly contract shipments to and from the Mehu camp, providing

him with some spare cash, and more importantly, the good graces of the Mehu

supply station crews, who were more than happy to look the other way when

Fox found himself in a monetary bind or a low fuel load. With such an ideal

setup, how could he go wrong?

Today, he was perusing the Olduvai Gorge. East of the Serengeti plains,

Olduvai was actually more fun to fly through than to look at. It presented

a unique challenge to a pilot who was too young to understand or too

restless to acknowledge the danger. He'd been paying attention to the

instruments when he realized he'd passed the gorge and was now above the

Serengeti National Park. Somewhere in the back of his mind, conscience

panged. He knew he wasn't supposed to be flying there; the Serengeti was

restricted airspace, but he decided to stick around for a while and take a

look. Secretly, he'd been desperately wanting to 'accidentally' blunder

into the Serengeti, a legitimate excuse to look around and see what there

was to see. After all, he was having mechanical trouble, wasn't he?

Glancing out the left side of his aircraft, Fox saw something unusual. A

large rock formation jutted out from a narrow plateau. It gave him the

impression of a… castle? It wasn't normal to see something like that in the

Serengeti… at least, not as far as his experience told him. Dismissing the

rock, he glanced back to his instruments. The oil pressure light was on and

flashing, a tiny crimson reminder of Murphy's Law and how it directly

applied to his life. "Damn it!" he cursed. "I just fixed you. What's wrong

now?" He tapped the gauge again, but this time, it refused to resign.

"Okay," he reasoned with the aircraft. "If you can just make it back to

Mehu, I can fix it." But the Cessna rocked with protest as the engine

temperature climbed and metal grated against metal. "Okay.. Don't panic

Fox," he spoke to himself. "We'll just put you down here and fix it on the

ground." Piloting the aircraft closer to the ground, he scouted for a clear

area.

Finally deciding on a grassy spot away from the shrubs of the savanna, he

descended. "Steady, folks," he said, his voice monotone in deep

concentration. "There we go… There we go…" Movement caught his eye, and his

head jerked left.

An animal? A cat? A lion! A big lion! Fox had always been fond of the

beasts and had a great deal of respect for these kings of the jungle, but

just the same, he never wanted to pet one or feed it treats. This one was

close enough that he could do both.

An afterthought later, he realized that his diverted attention would prove

fatal to his landing. The moment he looked away, the plane slammed into the

ground, the gear groaning in protest under the weight. The aircraft spun

into the ground, and the impact nearly knocked him unconscious, leaving him

scrambled but miraculously lucid. When the aircraft finally shuddered to an

abrupt halt, he kicked the door open, loosed his safety belt, grabbed his

survival bag, and raced from the plane. He silently thanked God that the

Cessna hadn't exploded on impact. Nevertheless, he wasn't taking any

chances with the wreaked Skylark. After running for what must have been a

few hundred feet, he turned back and looked at his fallen friend.

The Skylark hadn't exploded, but he knew that it had taken a severe

beating. "Damn it!" he shouted toward the craft, as if to make it feel

guilty for crashing. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?" He had no

idea where he was, and he had no idea where home was – or how far away it

was for that matter. He'd spent almost everything he'd saved from odd jobs

back in the States to lease the aircraft, and now it didn't look like he'd

be getting his deposit back. All the makings of a bad situation. "Damn!" he

said again. "Damn you," he told the tree he was standing next to. "Damn you

too," he reiterated to the grass. "And damn you to hell," he told the lion,

who gazed back unpleasantly.

Lion? His stomach fell into his feet. No more than ten feet away was the

beast that had distracted him from his landing. Fox's mind cursed at him so

extensively that, had he not been wondering whether or not he'd be dead in

a few moments, he would have certainly been offended at the language.

The lion was twice as big as he looked from the sky and a hundred times

more intimidating. "I didn't mean that, buddy," he apologized to the cat,

who glared at him with menace. "Look… Damn me!" he said quickly, pointing

to himself. "Damn me to hell! My fault," he assuaged, backing away slowly.

Mufasa looked at the stranger oddly. Damn? He wondered. Buddy? He glanced

around. There was no one else about. Surely this human had intended him to

hear what he'd said, or he wouldn't have said it? Simple logic. He expects

a response, Mufasa decided. Here's your response, human, he mused.

The lion's bass roar sent Fox stumbling backwards onto the dry savanna

grass where he collapsed. He was at eye level with the massive beast now.

"Nice kitty?" he asked weakly, his limbs growing numb with anxiety.

Ironically, between the two rational minds at work, neither of them

realized the coincidental opportunity that had been handed to them, much

less the incredible impact such a hopeless position would have on their

lives.

Kitty!? Mufasa was sincerely annoyed now... Who was this… thing? He would

have dispatched of the invader immediately if he'd had the ability, but his

condition prevented it.

His expression turned to absolute disgust as he thought of the hyenas he'd

been pursuing. He cursed mentally, furious with himself. Just minutes prior

to the human's arrival, he'd been chasing a pack away from the Pridelands.

He'd arrogantly assumed they would run to the border and not look back, as

they always had for his father. Arrogance, the wise old lion had taught

him, is a luxury that kings couldn't afford. Mufasa wished now that he'd

been a better student.

In sheer numbers, the hyenas had overpowered and wounded him. Now, he knew,

they were likely bringing their pack in for the kill. A fitting end for a

young fool like yourself! he spat in his mind. He knew that he didn't stand

a chance against the lot of them wounded. He'd get one or two, but

eventually he'd go down and that would be the end. He'd been making his

peace and waiting to die when the human had descended in the screeching

bird.

Meanwhile, Fox was paralyzed with fear. He sat frozen, his eyes locked on

the lion only fifteen feet in front of him. He's frowning at me, he

thought. I'll bet he's mad. Please don't be mad. Suddenly the forty hour

work week was looking relatively sweet.

Then he noticed something. The lion wasn't moving at all. He was scowling

and roaring… but there wasn't the slightest motion. Here he was, fresh meat

for the taking, and yet the huge cat hadn't budged an inch.

And then Fox saw the wound. He wondered immediately how he could have

missed it. The lion's foreleg was torn and bloody, revealing an unnatural

and inordinate amount of muscle. Too bad for him, too good for me, Fox

thought.

"So that's the way it is, huh?" he smirked, regaining his confidence and

his feet. He brushed himself off slowly and stared the lion down. "Not so

tough without your leg, are ya', pussy cat?" he sneered tauntingly.

Fallen or not, this was too much for Mufasa. It was bad enough that the

human was even here… Now, he was being insulted. "Why don't you come here

and see how tough I am, little one?" he replied venomously. He didn't think

the human would understand him – humans couldn't understand nature's

children – but either way he thought the gesture would seem imposing

enough.

Fox glared down at the lion, pointing authoritatively. "One more time?" he

began condescendingly. "I didn't quite catch…" The sneer fell off his face

and he paused, dumbfounded. "Whu… what'd you say?"

The lion had just… spoken to him? No… that wasn't right. He looked to the

nearby patch of trees. A more logical explanation popped into his mind.

"Okay, whoever you are," he said, wagging his finger. Local pranksters,

probably having a good laugh at an idiot tourist like himself, he decided.

"Not funny. You can come out now." No reply. Fox continued anyway. "I need

to know where the nearest city is. Y'know, I can't believe you expect

people to fall for that sort of stuff. It must be all of that fiber you—"

"—Quiet, human!" Mufasa demanded. Intriguing. The human could understand

him, or so it seemed. Normally, being able to communicate with other

animals wouldn't have surprised Mufasa, but humans were different. They

weren't Nature's children, and so they couldn't talk to Nature's creatures.

A find like this would have certainly been news if he'd had the opportunity

to take it back to his Pride, but that wasn't likely to happen now. He was

in a bad mood, and it appeared as though he was going to stay that way. He

certainly didn't need his last few moments of life polluted with an

annoying little… man.

A bewildered Fox looked back at the lion, laughing uncomfortably. "I'm not

buying this, pal. I don't know what the deal here is, but I'm not buying,

comprende?" He glanced around frantically. This wasn't happening to him! He

was young and fit – too young and too fit to be going crazy.

He'd hit his head in the crash, he decided. Yes. He'd hit his head, and he

was laying unconscious in the Skylark sleeping and dreaming…

"Are you testing me, boy?" Mufasa asked angrily. Apparently humans weren't

very intelligent creatures. He'd suspected as much.

Fox's eyes locked in on the lion again. He stared for a long moment.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Let's say – for arguments sake, nothing more –

that you are actually… you know… we're…communicating here… why haven't you

killed me yet? Hmmm? Answer me that, my feline friend." He added

emphatically. "I've seen hundreds of National Geographic Explorers, and I

know that you eat guys like me. So let's have it, huh?" Fox smiled with

satisfaction, although he had no idea why.

Mufasa knew nothing of the human's ravings, except for the part about

eating him. He understood that part quite well. "I'm wondering the same

thing myself," he muttered. With half annoyance and half indifference, his

mind wandered elsewhere, to his home and his waiting bride. He'd let her

down, he realized with a sad sigh. He thought about his father, who'd

always taught him to never stop fighting. He'd let him down as well. He

tried to move his battered leg, but the pain was too great, and he

succeeded only in wincing at the effort.

Fox saw the lion try to move. He could tell the beast was in pain. The

absurdity of the situation coupled with the rush of adrenaline Fox was

experiencing made rationality an afterthought. Right now, he felt… sorry

for the beast? If there's one thing I won't do, it's get close to the lion,

his mind shouted.

"Look," he said. "I like cats. I'm a big fan." He gestured to his emergency

bag. "I can help you," he suggested. The rational half of his mind cursed

at him again. Idiot! Don't help the lion! Stay away from the lion! The lion

is bad! The lion will kill you!

The instinctive part of his mind wasn't listening. It was very sure now

that this was all a dream, and nothing bad would happen to him in a dream,

right? He took the opportunity to be adventurous, thinking how proud of

himself he'd be when he awoke. The rational part of his mind, thoroughly

disgusted at this point, shut down and refused to be any part of it.

Mufasa eyed the human suspiciously. "You?" he asked mockingly. "You didn't

help your friend," he said, indicating the wrecked Skylark. "Or is that

what you call help?" He may have been defeated by arrogant pride, but he

still wasn't foolish enough to trust a human. Or was he?

Fox looked back at the Cessna, and then at Mufasa. "The plane?" he asked.

He thought about how things looked to the lion. "You don't understand.

That's a… Oh, just don't worry about it." He became suddenly serious. "I

can help fix your leg, but I want you to promise you're not going to eat

me, or maul me or maim me or anything that you normally do to people like

me."

Mufasa had very little to lose. He'd never trusted humans before. His

brother had been attacked by the marauders when they were younger. The curs

had beaten him with sticks and burned him with their fire. He could still

remember the tortured young Taka crawling back to Pride Rock in agony,

shrieking for mother. Images such as that one die hard in the

impressionable mind. All humans had ever brought to the Pridelands was

pain.

It was time to make a decision. He was sure this human intended to kill

him, but he was tired of waiting for his end, and there was little more

undignified that dying at the claws and jaws of hyenas. Goodbye, Sarabi, he

said to himself, remembering his betrothed. She was to become his queen

when he returned from this excursion. I'm sorry, father, he thought. I've

failed as a king. Taka would have been a better choice. His brother, he

knew, would now assume the throne. "Grant him your wisdom, father," Mufasa

sighed under his breath.

He looked back at the man standing in front of him. Get it over with! he

growled to himself. Better to be just a fool than a fool and a coward.

"Okay, human," he said, lowering his head to the ground into what another

lion would consider resignation. "Do what you will. I won't harm you."

Fox nodded. "Okay, good." He cautiously moved in closer to the lion. He

still wasn't entirely convinced that this was a dream or that he was

speaking with a cat. He imagined some young native kid hopping out from the

trees and laughing at him as the lion mauled him to bits. Open minded, he

thought. Be open minded. When he was just outside of striking distance, he

paused. Mufasa didn't move. Slowly, he inched closer.

Despite his remarkable will and strength, Mufasa couldn't force himself to

simply submit to death, and so on the outside chance that the human was

actually trying to help him, the lion began to explain. "I understand your

reservations about getting so close, but I assure you, my word is good."

Fox set his bag down and opened it, never taking his eyes off the

golden-furred beast that lay wounded in front of him. Medically, he was

poorly stocked, but he had an application of morphine and bandages. They

were intended for him if he'd ever crashed his plane and was wounded. Since

he'd already crashed his plane and hadn't been injured, he didn't mind so

much about using the morphine.

Mufasa urged him on. "There isn't much time, human. If you –"

"Fox," Fox said, pulling a morphine syringe from the bag. "Call me Fox.

Everyone else does."

"Whatever. Fox," Mufasa continued. "Any moment, there's going to be a pack

of hyenas coming to finish me off. If you intend to help me, I'd like to

suggest that you hurry."

"Right," Fox said, not paying any attention. "Now look. I'm going to stick

this needle in your paw, or leg, or whatever it is you call it. It's gonna'

hurt like hell. Don't kill me, okay?"

"I told you, human," Mufasa said evenly. "My word is good."

"And I told you. Call me Fox." He took the beast's word at face value.

"Okay," he said. "Here goes." He injected the fluid into the bloody fore

leg of the lion, right above the wound. Mufasa took a sharp breath as the

needle entered, but exhaled smoothly. "Good," Fox said, realizing he was

still alive. "Good. Very good," he said encouragingly.

Mufasa looked down at his mangled leg. He felt a tingling sensation in his

wound. "What is that?" he demanded.

Fox raised his hands in defense. "Just morphine, pal. It'll stop the pain."

As he spoke, Mufasa could feel the intense throb subsiding. It was as

though his wound had healed in moments.

He stood up.

Then he fell over.

"What kind of magic is this?" he questioned curtly. "I'm still injured."

Fox was pulling a bandage from his bag. "I said it would stop the pain. I

didn't say it was the wonder cure. You should take what you can get."

Mufasa conceded that he felt much better without the wrenching pain of the

mess of his fore leg. "What are you doing now?" he asked.

"Bandage," Fox replied. "It'll stop the bleeding." His hands worked quickly

to wrap the wound as he spoke. "If you'd rather die from blood loss that's

your choice I suppose, but I want my morphine back if that's the case."

Mufasa was beginning to understand. "Your a mage, aren't you?" he asked in

realization. "There is someone like you in my kingdom. His name is Rafiki."

Mufasa paused. He looked over the one called Fox. "He walks on two legs as

well. Perhaps you know each other?" he offered.

Fox finished the wrapping. "I had a cat once named 'Jessica'," he said

dryly. "She walked on four legs. Perhaps you know each other?"

Mufasa took the hint. "No," he said simply. "Are you finished?"

Fox looked over the bandaged leg. "That's about all I can do here," he

announced.

Mufasa stirred. "Then I can walk now?"

Fox shook his head, restraining Mufasa with his hand. "Afraid not. You'll

have to wait until the wounds begin to heal. You won't walk for a couple

days at least."

Mufasa looked at him with frustration. "We don't have days, Fox. Perhaps

you didn't hear me. Very soon, we'll be surrounded by some dozen hyenas,

and they'll kill you as quickly as they'll kill me."

"Why would they do that?" Fox asked, putting the medical materials back

into his bag.

Mufasa was obviously dealing with an outsider. "Because they're hungry.

They kill to eat." Among other reasons naturally… reasons that weren't

worth mentioning at this point. He honestly couldn't believe he had to

explain this. "You know very little of this place."

The mutual benefits of this newfound relationship were about to make

themselves evident. Fox was thinking. He had a means of protection. He

always carried a handgun when he did field work, although not for occasions

like this. It was intended for use against other humans – nothing made his

blood boil more than poachers –- but it could be used in a tight situation

for protection against the wild. "How many?" Fox asked.

"Hyenas?" Mufasa asked. "Ten. Fifteen. Maybe more," he said solemnly.

"Workable," Fox said. He carried enough ammunition to get himself out of

this bind, but very little more. He didn't like the idea of shooting up the

wild animals, but these, he thought, were desperate times. He'd also had no

experience with handguns. He'd never been an action fan and guns, in his

mind, were toys that kids in grown-up bodies played with. Still, how hard

could it be to fire a gun? "I think we'll be okay." Protection no creature

but human could provide, and just when it was needed most.

Mufasa looked at Fox incredulously. "You've done me a great service, Fox. I

wish I could repay you, but I am unable to fight. It would be best if you

leave now," he said, resigning himself once again to impending death. He

sighed again, chiding himself for his delusions of escaping this trap Fate

had laid for him. You can't fight with Fate, he thought.

Fox looked back at him and smiled. "Hey, it's not like I'm defenseless…

You've got a name, I hope?"

"Mufasa," the lion groaned as he tried to put weight on the leg again.

"Mufasa," Fox repeated. "By the way, don't do that," he said, pointing at

the leg. "Anyway, Mufasa, I'm not helpless. I might not have claws, but I

have this," he said, displaying the Beretta.

Mufasa was not impressed. "I see," he said. "You should go now."

"Ye of little faith, oh wounded one. Just wait. We'll get out of this yet."

They didn't wait long, in fact, only a matter of minutes, before the hyenas

arrived.

"Dinnertime," the pack leader announced to the group said as they moved in.

"And look," said another, indicating Fox. "Dessert. You caught a human,

Mufasa? You're making me so proud!" The sarcasm was evident, even to an

outsider like Fox.

He was already accustom to talking to Mufasa, so he didn't even flinch when

he understood the hyenas. He glared at the pack of hunters.

"Leave him be," Mufasa demanded. "I'm what you want. And…" His eyes sunk to

the ground. Even a noble king knows when to surrender. "…you've got me."

The head of the group was a female, Fox decided. "We don't take orders from

you, Mufasa. You're not our king." She moved in closer.

King? Fox wondered. He stowed the thought. He didn't like being pushed.

"Back off, bitch," he demanded, leveling the Beretta at the predator. He'd

never fired it before, and he hoped that it worked. He felt like Dirty

Harry, he thought with a smile. It felt good.

"Temper, temper," the hyena taunted, mildly surprised at having heard the

human. "I don't think you're in much of a position to argue." Fox had had

absolutely no experience with handguns, but he'd seen all the movies. The

movies, he realized, offer little useful education, though. The slight

motion forward as she spoke was enough to set him off. His hand twitched

with inexperienced apprehension and he fired a round straight into her. She

collapsed immediately, dead. Mufasa blinked as the weapon fired and his

eyes shot wildly in Fox's direction.

Fox wasn't finished. The slight recoil from the weapon had startled him,

and he'd panicked. He fired three more rounds into the group, and three

more hyenas fell dead. The remaining pack didn't know what to do or where

to go. They were dropping like flies and they had no idea why. Another two

rounds went off and another two pack members went down. Through the melee,

an unspoken but unanimous decision to retreat was somehow made. The

survivors scrambled away from the human and the wounded lion, disappearing

over the hill from which they'd approached. Neither Fox nor Mufasa spoke

for a moment.

Finally, Fox broke the silence. "See?" he said quietly. "Told ya'."

"This is strong magic, Fox," Mufasa replied slowly. "Where did you get this

power from?"

Fox held up the Beretta again. "It's this. Look here. It shoots these." He

pulled out the clip and removed a bullet. He'd used six rounds and had only

twenty left, he noted. "It fires them out the barrel here, and the little

things go right through the target." He realized that he was trying to

explain physical science to a cat. He abandoned the explanation. "Look.

It's not magic. That's really all you need to know."

Mufasa examined the Beretta for a moment. He didn't like it. Nature

protected its children well. Lions were strong, cheetahs were fast. Birds

could fly. But this human could tear through all of those natural barriers

with this… thing. Strong magic indeed. He then looked back at the human.

"Fox," he began. "You've saved my life twice today."

"Glad I could help," Fox replied, because he didn't know what else to say.

He looked around. It was getting dark. "Hey," he said to Mufasa. "Where's

home? Maybe I can get you there if it's nearby." He was astounded by how

easy it was to talk to a lion. It was like chatting with your best friend,

he realized.

Mufasa smiled. "I may have underestimated your ability to fight, but I know

that you can't carry me."

Perhaps he was right, Fox thought. No, he was right. Looking at the lion's

frame, he estimated that he weighed somewhere between 350 to 400 pounds.

"Well," he said, "then I guess we stay here tonight." He'd decided to stick

with the lion for a while. He'd never spoken with an animal before -

something that went without saying - and this was an opportunity that,

simply put, he couldn't pass up.

"You know," Fox said as the two shared meat substitute from his emergency

rations. "When I saw you for the first time, I was sure you were going to

eat me."

Mufasa was having a rough time with the rations. They were nothing like

what he was used to, and the terrible taste was almost enough for him to

decide to go hungry. "I still might," he scowled as he nibbled at the meat.

"Is this what you normally eat?" Fox chuckled as he watched the lion

grimace and swallow his petite meal.

The night set in, and the two stranded animals sat under a nearby tree and

talked. Fox examined the contents of his emergency bag during their

conversation. It was always well stocked. He knew that his supplies

wouldn't last forever, but they should carry him long enough.

Mufasa looked at him strangely. "You're unlike the humans I've

encountered," he said. "Why did you help me?"

Fox shrugged. He still didn't know what had possessed him to approach a

wounded lion. "I don't know," he finally said. "You needed it."

Mufasa cracked a smile. Very good answer, he thought. "Listen, Fox. I would

like to thank you for what you've done. I'd like you to be a guest in my

kingdom."

It was Fox's turn to smile. "Right, sure. The king of the jungle bit, huh?

Isn't this your kingdom," he asked, waving his arms around, indicating the

surrounding savanna.

"No," Mufasa replied, somewhat confused. "My kingdom is Pride Rock. Well,

it will be as soon as I return."

I'll play along, Fox thought. "Do you have a castle and a moat?" he goaded.

Again, Mufasa was confused. "No," he replied. "I'm the king. My father was

king before me, but now he's passed on." The human didn't seem to

understand at all.

Fox eyed the lion. "How many kings are there?" he asked suspiciously.

Mufasa replied. "Just me. Why? Do I need a moat to be a king, Fox?"

This was interesting to Fox. This wasn't just any beast he'd found. If he

was this Lion King that he spoke of, then he was probably very unique

indeed. "I'm not quite sure I understand," Fox said.

"What's there to understand?" Mufasa asked, smiling. "This land you see is

my territory. The animals who live here are my subjects." He paused. "Are

there no kings where you come from, Fox?"

"Hmmm?" Fox was looking around. "No… no… But I've heard of them," he said.

Mufasa was serious, he realized. This lion he'd just saved from certain

death was the monarch of all of the Serengeti – the 'Pridelands', Mufasa

had called it. "What about that bird?" he inquired, pointing to a nest in

the tree high above them. "Is he your subject?"

"Yes, of course," Mufasa replied, not sure what the human was getting at.

"And he'd do whatever you asked him to?" Fox replied.

"I suppose so… Yes, he would. Why do you ask?"

Amazing, the human thought. "No reason." Having no where else to go coupled

with an overwhelming curiosity to learn more about Mufasa led Fox to a

quick decision. "Hey, I'd love to be your guest," he said. As a kid, he'd

gaped at pictures of these marvelous cats, but he'd known instinctively

that photos were as close as he could safely get to them. Now, though, he

would make fast friends with the lion community here in the Serengeti.

Mufasa would see to that.

He'd slept that night fully expecting to awaken somewhere else in another

time to discover that this had been a dream. When he woke up the next

morning, though, there was Mufasa sleeping comfortably a couple feet away.

"Wild," he muttered to himself.

There was little for the two to do in the next two days while Mufasa

regained his strength. They were both happy to see that the hyenas had no

intention of returning. Fox spent the first day looking over his wounded

aircraft. Mufasa had hobbled over to him while he was examining it.

"A large bird?" he asked, nodding to the Cessna.

Not anymore, Fox thought to himself. "No, Mufasa. It's not a bird. It's a

machine. We build them so that we can fly."

"It doesn't… fly very well." Mufasa pointed out. "It falls nicely, though."

A conciliatory remark that Mufasa realized offered little comfort.

Fox looked back at him. He was right. It did fall, and hard. The gear was

mangled horribly, and the engine was still leaking oil somewhere. He

covered the aircraft with its tan tarpaulin after retrieving what he

thought he needed from the interior: clothing, a blanket and a hygiene kit.

He wasn't very worried about anyone stealing the aircraft. Potential

thieves would have to find out how to repair the landing gear. "If they can

do that," he muttered to himself, "then they can have it."

Mufasa and Fox talked at great length about their pasts. They talked at

great length about Fate. Mufasa explained that Fate had been kind enough to

make him king and it had been cruel enough to have nearly killed him the

day before.

"It's crazy," Fox replied contemplatively. Mufasa looked at him

questioningly.

"Fate," he explained, looking up at the lion. "Absolutely mad." Mufasa's

brow clouded.

"That's an interesting way of looking at it," he mused. "Of course, I can't

say how Fate would feel about that remark."

"If you could see the things that I've seen, you'd agree with me," Fox

informed Mufasa as he relaxed against the tree. "And besides, I'm not

worried about what Fate thinks." After a short pause, Mufasa's glance

prompted Fox to continue. "You know… I've always felt like I was one up on

it. I felt like I could… y'know, take it on. Beat it at its own game."

Mufasa smiled with amusement. "Fate? Don't you think that's a little

presumptuous?" he asked. "It's not a good bet to make and lose."

Fox nodded. "Yeah, but things always seems to turn out my way." He searched

for a convenient example. "Like when my plane crashed yesterday. Do you

know what the chances of me crashing and living are?"

Mufasa simply shook his head, assuming that the chances were probably very

low.

"Real bad. The way I see it," he said, pointing up at the sky, "either

someone up there's got a crush on me or I'm the luckiest guy in the world.

Either way, things always seem to work out for the better for me." Fox had

never voiced how he felt so clearly as he'd just done. It had taken a

conversation with this lion – a lion! - for him to understand his own

philosophy. He did feel invincible to Fate. It was a like a high. He felt…

immortal, almost. If he never had anything else in his life, he had that.

He could beat Fate.

Mufasa wondered if perhaps Fox was a charmed creature. There was something…

unusual about him that he couldn't place. It reminded him of something, but

he wasn't sure what. He stowed the thought for another time and the two

continued their conversation while Mufasa recovered.

It was early in the day, but Sarabi had already been waiting too long.

"Sarafina, where is he?" she asked worriedly. She paced back and forth on

the plains below the Rock.

"You should relax," Sarafina replied with mock annoyance as she basked in

the sun's warm rays. "He'll be back. What he's doing is important, Sarabi."

"I know it's important," she said, frustrated. "But he's been gone too

long. He should have been back days ago!" Sarabi had been waiting for

Mufasa since he'd left nearly four days ago. They were going to be wed, but

duty called, and a pack of rogue hyenas had needed his immediate attention.

"As soon as I return, Sarabi," he'd said, "We will be married." Sarabi had

been attached to Mufasa since they were cubs, and she'd been betrothed to

him nearly two years ago. She'd thought that was the most miraculous day of

her life. She'd only realized recently that the most miraculous day was yet

to come. It was time for her to take a mate. She could feel the changes in

her body as she moved from an adolescent cub to an adult lioness. She was

in season, and the wait for Mufasa to return was agonizing.

Sarafina knew what Sarabi was going through. She too could feel the

changes, but she was younger than Sarabi, and she was not yet to the same

point of maturity. She would be soon, though, she knew, and Mufasa, as

king, would be responsible for tending all of the lionesses – an exhausting

task. And Oh, how she wanted a cub… a daughter, gods willing!

Fortunately for the new king, Ahadi had attended to almost all of the

lionesses shortly before his death, and Sarabi and Sarafina were the last

in line, so Mufasa would not be taxed to care for them.

It was fortunate for Sarabi as well. She didn't like the idea of sharing

Mufasa with the pride. She loved the lionesses, but Mufasa was uniquely

hers. She wanted him all to herself. She didn't mind so much that he would

be responsible for Sarafina's cubs because the two were so close, but she

was glad that that would be the extent of his efforts. "This is too much,"

she said, flopping onto the ground. "Where is he?" she complained again.

Sarafina smiled. It was so bizarre for her to see Sarabi like this. She

remembered back to when they were cubs. The two girls, at the time, were

thoroughly unimpressed with boys. "They're so goofy," Sarabi had said to

her. "They don't take anything seriously." She'd been referring to Mufasa,

who'd always been in the habit of making trouble. She recalled the time the

young prince had tried to scare off a pack of loitering hyenas, just as he

was doing now. He was so much littler then, though. Mufasa had been

convinced that the scavengers would run when they saw him - a lion and a

prince! Instead, he'd found himself being chased into the canyon, where he

cowered in a crevice for hours. Through careful inquisition, Sarabi and

Sarafina had both found out what had happened, but Mufasa had made them

promise not to tell anyone.

With her cub-like capacity for secrets, Sarafina had told Ahadi, the king

and Mufasa's father, about the incident before the day was out, and the

young prince had received a thrashing for it. Sarabi, on the other hand,

would have never told. She was convinced that Mufasa was the bravest,

noblest lion in the world – braver than even Ahadi.

Now, Sarafina thought, they were to be mates. "It's funny how things

change, Sarabi," she said pensively.

Sarabi glanced up at her, not understanding. "Hmmm?"

Sarafina shook off her contemplative mood and turned to her friend. "I was

just thinking about how Mufasa tried to chase out those hyenas when we were

younger," she laughed.

The recollection brought a smile to Sarabi's face. "And you told on him,

too! He got it bad for that."

"Yeah," Sarafina smiled. "I wonder if he ever found out which one of us

told," she mused.

He had, Sarabi knew. She'd told him later that it was Sarafina, but she'd

never mentioned this to her female friend. "Maybe we'll ask him when he

gets back," she said. "If he gets back," she added with frustration.

"Sarafina, where is he?"

Had the waiting lioness known how close Mufasa was, she would have been

surprised indeed. The lion had managed to get up on his feet in just a day

and a half. The king and his human friend had been walking through the

Pridelands for most of the day, and now they were minutes away from the

Rock. Fox realized that this was the same Rock he'd seen from the air two

days ago. Things are so much smaller from up there, he thought as he took

in the giant plateau. "So this is your home?" Fox asked.

"Yes," Mufasa replied. "This is Pride Rock," he said, indicating the giant

formation ahead. "It's my kingdom."

For a moment, Fox was beyond words. This was what he had come to the plains

for. He'd thought he had what he'd wanted when he'd watched the savanna fly

beneath him from his Cessna like a giant magazine photograph. But it had

been just that – a photograph. Now, he was here. He was in the picture,

looking out, and it was so much more beautiful on the inside.

"Why is it that I can talk to you?" he asked Mufasa, switching tracks. He'd

avoided the question until now because he wasn't sure he'd wanted to know.

"I mean, I don't normally talk to cats or dogs or mice or anything."

Mufasa too was puzzled. "I don't know," he replied honestly. "I've never

heard of animals talking to humans. Personally, I thought that they just

weren't intelligent enough to communicate," Mufasa said. Fox winced

slightly and Mufasa realized his mistake. "I realize your are, though," he

added tactfully.

"Thanks," Fox replied, not sure whether to take it as a compliment.

Mufasa had thought about the human frequently in the last few days. It was

as though he'd descended from the sky solely to rescue him. There had been

a story he'd once heard that Fox had reminded him of. As a cub, he'd begged

his father for stories about the Kings of the past and the legends of the

Pridelands. He'd eaten them up, and every night for a long time, before he

would even consider going to sleep, his father had to tell him such a tale…

"It's time!" Mufasa cried to his father. "It's time!"

Ahadi looked down at his son and smiled. "What time is it, Mufasa?" he'd

asked, just as he did every night. Mufasa frowned at him in response, just

as he did every night.

"You know!" he demanded. The cub capered to the entrance of the cave.

"Taka!" he called out. "Come on! It's time!"

Taka, Mufasa's younger brother, was playing below the Rock in the plains

with Sarabi and Sarafina, two of the young lioness cubs at Pride Rock.

"I've gotta' go," he apologized suddenly. Taka, too, loved to hear his

father's stories of the past, and he wouldn't miss them no matter what he

was busy doing.

"Come on!" Sarabi complained. "It isn't that late! You can stay a little

while longer, can't you?" The four cubs spent almost all of their time

together, and they had come to be close friends.

"Nope," Taka said decisively. "Sorry. I've gotta' go," he said, turning

toward the Rock's incline.

"Yeah, Sarabi," Sarafina mocked. "He's gotta' go hear stupid stories." She

didn't really think they were stupid, but she was mad at him for leaving so

early.

Taka whirled around angrily. "They are not stupid!" he shouted. "Dad's

stories are the greatest!" He was telling the truth, too. Every story

father had to tell was captivating. "You just don't know cause you never

get to hear any," he pouted. "Girls are so dumb sometimes." He turned back

to head up the incline.

Sarabi wasn't tired, and she knew that if she went back to the cave, she'd

have to go to bed. Ahadi always let Mufasa and Taka stay up later. She had

an idea, though. "Maybe he'll let us hear his story too!" she called after

Taka, who was bounding up toward the Rock.

"Maybe!" he shouted back, barely stopping on his way. "Come on! Hurry!"

The two females followed Taka up to the cave. The three bounced into the

cave. Taka saw that Mufasa was already curling up next to Ahadi in his

usual story-time position. "Dad?" Taka asked his father. "Sarabi wants to

hear the story too. Is it all right?"

Ahadi glanced down at his son and smiled softly. He'd had always assumed

that Sarabi was uninterested in the legends, but he certainly took no

objection. "Of course, Sarabi," he replied kindly.

Bravely, Sarabi spoke up next. "What about Sarafina?" she asked, stepping

aside to reveal the cub to her father. The shy cub shivered under the gaze

of the massive king. Sarafina wasn't Ahadi's child. She'd been found

wandering orphaned near the Pridelands months ago. Normally, a king's duty

would be to kill such stragglers, but Ahadi thought that such practice was

barbaric. Surprisingly, he was somewhat of a rebel as far as kings went,

departing from some of the traditional methods of ruling. He'd always

taught his cubs to respect life above all else, and he was not about to

break his own rule because of tradition. He'd arranged for the cub to be

'adopted' into the Pride, and she'd come to normal sleep with the lionesses

in their cave.

"Your welcome here anytime, Sarafina," he said smiling. Sarafina let out a

sigh of relief and made herself comfortable next to Sarabi.

"What's the story about tonight?" Mufasa begged eagerly.

"Hyenas?" ventured a hopeful Taka, who always liked hearing about hyenas

getting ripped up.

"Magic?" asked Sarabi.

Ahadi turned on the story telling charm that entranced his cubs every

night. "No," he announced. "Tonight, I'll tell you about the Guardian

Prophesy."

An awed silence fell over the cave.

"The what?" Mufasa asked, blinking. He'd never heard of that before, but he

thought it sounded neat. He thought everything his dad said was neat.

Even having never heard it mentioned before, the young cubs were already

enchanted. The four of them gazed at the father, their eyes growing wide.

"When I was young, my father told me of an ancient legend – the Guardian

Prophesy." He looked down at the cubs. He usually had to make up stories

for them, as they wanted a new one every night, and he'd run out of things

to tell them a long time ago. Earlier today, though, he'd remembered this

story that his father had told him while talking with Rafiki, and he

decided that tonight he would pass the legend on. "My father told me long

ago about a promise made to us by the gods. They sent a gift from the

heavens – a Guardian who would watch over our cubs and keep us safe."

Taka had rolled onto his back, his attention full at his father as he began

to purr. "Wow," he whispered. The other cubs marveled at the notion as

well.

"The Guardian fought to protect us from the evil spirits. They say that

once, he fought the sun when it tried to descend to the Pridelands," Ahadi

continued. "With all of his might, the Guardian captured the sun and threw

it back into the sky."

The enthralled cubs were speechless with amazement.

"But…!" Ahadi, snapped suddenly. The cubs jumped in startled anticipation.

"But what?" Sarabi begged.

"But," he repeated. "Soon the sun became jealous of the Guardian and grew

bitter. The sun stole the Guardian from the plains and imprisoned him,

where he still waits today to be released by a brave young cub who is

willing to fight the sun for his freedom." Ahadi took a deep breath as he

finished the legend. He hadn't realized how ludicrous the story sounded

when he was younger, but as he retold it, he wondered how his father had

ever gotten him to believe such nonsense. Observing the cubs, he quickly

remembered precisely how.

"That's so cool!" Mufasa cried. "I'll fight the sun and save the Guardian!"

he announced proudly.

"No," Taka screeched. "I'll do it. I'm not afraid of the stupid sun!"

Ahadi laughed to himself silently. He loved to see that spirit in his cubs.

He looked over all of them, even Sarafina. He was a proud father.

Taka had been contemplating the Guardian. "I'll bet he's a great big lion

like you, huh dad?" he pointed out.

Ahadi paused for a moment, recalling what his father had said when he'd

asked that same question. "No, son," he explained. "The Guardian isn't a

lion like me. Legends say he was disguised by the heavens so that the sun

wouldn't be able to recognize him."

"But then how did the sun recognize him?" Taka asked innocently.

A very good question, Ahadi thought. "I suppose it didn't work," he replied

after a moment's thought. As good an answer as any.

"Well, what did he look like?" Sarafina asked.

"No one knows, Sarafina," Ahadi replied with a grin. "No one has seen him

since his capture. But it is prophesied that one day, when he escapes from

the sun, he will return to watch over our cubs and protect them."

"Well," Mufasa said with sudden concern. "Who watches over us now?"

Ahadi's deep laugh echoed through the cave. "I do," he said. "And Zazu

does." Zazu was a recent addition to the regime. The young blue hornbill

was given the task of caring for the cubs and keeping them out of trouble.

A steward. A majordomo, if you will.

"Zazu?" Taka repeated, his face twisted with confusion. "But he's just a

bird."

"The Guardian can come in any form," Ahadi explained. "His strength doesn't

come from might. It comes from the gods, and the gods can do anything. Even

the smallest bird can defeat the most powerful lion with the help of the

gods. Remember that." The sun had disappeared entirely, he'd noticed. "You

cubs need to sleep now," he said finally. Obediently, Sarafina exited the

cave and headed for the lioness' den. Sarabi curled up with her mother and

was fast asleep. Taka and Mufasa went to their corner of the cave.

"Wow," Mufasa said. "That's so cool!"

"Yeah," Taka said. "Maybe we can fight the sun and help the Guardian," he

offered. "That would be real cool!"

As father's have a knack for doing, Ahadi overheard the ambitious pair. "Go

to sleep," he said softly but firmly. The two cubs who'd been huddled

together were startled by their father's voice. They both laid down

silently and thought about the Guardian. Maybe one day, Mufasa thought,

I'll be able to rescue the Guardian.

The story moved to the back of Mufasa's mind. It was just that, he thought.

A story. Fight the sun? he mused. He'd wanted so badly to fight the sun

when he was a cub. He'd wanted to be the one who'd rescued the Guardian. He

smiled inwardly at his cub-like naiveté. He wasn't embarrassed, though. He

wouldn't have traded his young ambitions for anything in the world. That

spirit was part of who he had become, and he was proud of who he had

become.

Fox had noticed that Mufasa was falling into a contemplative mood. He left

the lion alone to think while they walked. He, too, wanted a chance to mull

over what had happened in the last two days. Let's see, he thought. I

wrecked my plane. I have no idea where I am or where I'm going. I'm talking

to a lion and I'm shooting at hyenas. He could never had in his most

bizarre imaginations come up with a scenario like this one. Still, he was

interested in seeing where it would lead. He had very little incentive to

return to the city, especially since he'd been flying the aircraft without

insurance, an expensive commodity that didn't fit his nickel and dime

budget. He wondered what the chances of laying low out here for a while

were. He looked back at Mufasa; the lion was deep in thought. That query

could wait until later, he decided.

Ahead, Fox saw the base of the Rock. Out in front of it was a pair of

lionesses? He'd assumed that they were lionesses because they had no manes.

I hope they like company, he thought.

Sarabi was laying on her back under the warm sun when motion caught her

eye. Every time she saw movement on the horizon, she snapped hopefully to

her feet to see what was out there. Repeatedly she'd been disappointed by a

herd of zebra or some young cubs playing in the plains. This time, though,

she saw a lion. A big, male lion. "Mufasa!" she shouted. "Sarafina, look!

It's Mufasa." There was something else though. It was…

"A human?" Sarafina mouthed with profound disbelief. She looked at Sarabi,

who returned her confused expression. What was a human doing in the

Pridelands? What was he doing so close to Mufasa? She jumped to her feet

and shot out toward the pair.

"Sarabi," Sarafina called out. "Wait!" She rose from her rock and followed

the lioness out to the plains.

"Look, Mufasa," Fox said, finally breaking the lion's concentration. "A

welcoming party. I guess you are well liked around here." An

understatement, Mufasa thought, but he let it go. He was about to reply

when realization set it.

Mufasa looked up and saw Sarabi running madly at him. At him? No, he

thought. At the human? "Behind me, Fox! Quickly!" The lioness was closing

so rapidly that there was little time.

As she hurtled toward the pair, Sarabi saw Mufasa's limp, and realizing he

was wounded, she immediately drew conclusions. She bore down on the human,

charging as quickly as she could, determined to protect the wounded King.

"Behind you?" Fox stopped looked down to the lion. "Oh," he said. "I see.

It's a 'king' thing. Okay. If you insist." Fox began to fall in line with

Mufasa. Probably some ritual, he supposed. Always walk behind the king. Oh

well. When in Rome…

He glanced back up just in time to see a flash of golden-brown fur flying

at him. The lioness hit him square in the chest and knocked him onto his

back. She'd almost landed on top of him, which, he realized later, would

have probably killed him. A powerful claw constricted his throat,

strangulating him. His arms flailed violently as he tried to push his

assailant off of him, but it did did nothing to stop the furious lioness.

"Sarabi!" Mufasa cried, unable to intercept the lioness as a result of his

bad leg. "Stop!"

Fox was staring into the lioness' face. Her expression of ferocity was

unforgettable, but when Mufasa's words reached her, she immediately backed

off, moving from killer to observer in a fraction of a second. He gasped

for air, his hands clutching his painfully sore neck.

Sarabi turned toward the lion. "Mufasa," she said between heavy breaths.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" She asked with concern, examining his

bandaged leg. "What has he done to you?" she cried, nursing him like an

overprotective mother.

"Calm down, Sarabi!" he commanded. He turned toward Fox. "Are you okay?" he

asked with sincerity.

Fox nodded his head, but Sarabi's attention was still directed at Mufasa.

"He can't understand you," she informed him, a hint of question in her

voice. "Humans don't understand us."

Mufasa corrected her. "Fox does, my love. I've spoken with him." He turned

to Fox. "Go ahead," he coaxed. "Show her."

Fox's throat still ached, but he managed a few syllables. "What'd you do

that for?" he rasped, staring wildly at Sarabi.

Sarabi's eyes grew wide. She'd always thought that humans couldn't

understand them or speak to them, but this one could do both apparently.

"I…" she stammered. "You were…." She turned to Mufasa. "He can talk?"

"And understand, too," Mufasa smiled. "Did you doubt me? He turned back to

the human. "This is Fox. He's my… friend."

The lioness recoiled when she heard this. "Friend? Mufasa! He's a human!"

Mufasa nodded. "Sarabi, he saved my life. Twice."

Sarabi looked at Fox, who was on his knees now. His hands were still

wrapped firmly around his throat. He looked up and smiled weakly at her.

"Mufasa," she started again, looking back at his wounded leg. "Are you

going to be all right? Is it bad?"

Mufasa pointed to the human again. "You should ask him. He tended my wound.

He's a mage."

She looked back at Fox. Years of experience made her wary and cautious. She

didn't like humans. Nothing good had ever come of humans, she knew. Still,

Mufasa wouldn't lie to her, of that she was certain. If he said that the

human had helped him, then she was obliged to return the favor. She moved

over to Fox's side, but he immediately recoiled away from her. "Wait," she

called to him. "I won't hurt you."

Fox looked at her as though she were crazy.

"Again," she added apologetically. "I won't hurt you again."

Still he shook his head vigorously. This time, it was Mufasa who spoke.

"You can trust her, Fox. This is Sarabi. I told you about her. Remember? If

you trust me, then you can trust her."

The three were interrupted by yet another arrival. Sarafina, who'd been

following Sarabi out to the pair had finally caught up. "Mufasa! Are you –

whoa, that's a human!" She stopped when she noticed Fox laying on the

ground.

"This is Fox," Mufasa informed the other lionesses. "He helped me… er…

defeat the hyenas I was hunting, and he saved my life." He looked at the

two lionesses. They were still in a state of deep confusion. "We'll

continue this at the Rock," he announced finally. "Are you okay?" he asked

Fox again. Fox nodded his head but said nothing.

Mufasa turned and began to limp toward the Rock. He realized as he walked

that he was now in his kingdom. For as long as he could remember, he'd been

Prince Mufasa, heir to the throne of Pride Rock. But now, he was king. The

realization was fantastic. He felt majestic, returning from battle with his

enemies, being escorted by his loyal subjects back to his throne. 'You've

come a long way,' he said to himself. 'Father would be proud of you.' And

he was.

As Mufasa moved off toward the Rock, Sarabi ambled up behind Fox. "I'm

sorry," she said. "I didn't realize… I saw the wound and I thought that

you…" she fumbled.

"I'm fine," Fox said, rubbing his neck. He could speak normally again.

"Look, Sarabi. Sarabi, is it?" he asked, trying to get the pronunciation

down.

"Sarabi," she repeated for him. "Yes?"

"Look, Sarabi," he said, getting it right this time. "It might not be my

place to say this, but you shouldn't go killing guys on a whim. It's just

not right."

The lioness looked at him again apologetically. "I know. I'm sorry."

Fox was willing to forgive, he decided. After all, her reaction had been

natural. Besides that, it would certainly do him no good to be on the wrong

side of this lioness. She was only trying to protect her king, and she was

quite capable of doing it, too. All the same, he thought, I'd better keep

an eye on her. "Okay," he said to her. "Just don't try to kill me again,

deal?" he said smiling.

Sarabi smiled back. "Deal," she said. "Follow me. I'll take you to the

Rock," she said. He did so, following her all the way to the base of the

cliff where Mufasa was arguing with a blue-feathered bird. Sarabi entered

the cave, but Fox remained outside, looking on curiously at Mufasa's

associate.

"No, Zazu! He's my friend. I won't turn him away, and neither will you,"

Mufasa demanded.

"Sire," he began adamantly. "Humans are loathsome! Thorns in the side of

order! They don't have any respect for us, and we shouldn't have any for

them!" Zazu turned and saw Fox approaching. "There you are! You," he

snapped sternly, flapping over to Fox, putting the tip of his wing in the

human's face. "You can just turn around and leave! The kingdom doesn't want

you here!" Fox was taken aback by the sudden change in hospitality.

"Zazu!" Mufasa cried. "He's our guest!" He turned to Fox, who was obviously

startled by the birds ill manner. "Don't mind him, Fox. He's just

unsociable."

"I really didn't…" Fox began, but the hornbill cut him off.

"Unsociable?!" he exclaimed in disbelief, turning toward the lion. "Mufasa,

it's a human! He's nothing but trouble! Remember what your father said!

He'll bring the whole…" Zazu blinked. He looked back at Fox. "Did you say

something?"

"I tried to," said Fox. "Look, I really didn't want to cause any trouble.

I…"

"Did you hear that?" Zazu asked Mufasa quickly. "Did you understand that?

What he just said?"

Mufasa nodded slowly at him. Zazu's expression changed from disapproval to

shock. "You… you…" he began at Fox.

"Can talk?" Fox finished for him. "I know. Wild, isn't it?"

Zazu wasn't letting him off the hook, though. "It's sorcery, is what it

is," he cried. "Mufasa, get rid of him quickly, for the sake of the

kingdom. He's a menace!"

A menace? Fox thought. He was getting tired of the bird's constant

harassment. "Mufasa," he said. "Who's the feather collection?" he asked,

thumbing toward the bird. "Zazi? Zayuh? Zizzah? What was it?" He was

mispronouncing intentionally now just to aggravate the bird.

Zazu had never been so insulted in all of his life. "Zazu!" he demanded.

"And 'feather collection'?" he fumed. "Why you filthy… human! If I had half

your strength, Mufasa, I'd tear this… this thing to pieces!"

Mufasa was getting tired of the argument. "Please!" he yelled. Zazu and Fox

were silent. He turned to Fox first. "Fox," he said. "This is Zazu. He's my

advisor and my very close friend." He turned to Zazu. "Zazu, this is Fox.

He is the reason I'm not lying dead in the savanna right now, so please,

show him respect."

Zazu wasn't happy with this. "But…" he began.

"Zazu!" Mufasa cut him off. "Enough!"

"Yes, sire," the bird responded curtly. He shot an angry glance at Fox, who

returned the expression. They were like two little kids making faces at

each other.

Mufasa had other things on his mind. Sarabi had been anxiously awaiting his

arrival for a reason. He knew that reason, and he was anxious too. "Fox,"

he said. "Make yourself at home here. I'll have Sarafina show you around."

Fox nodded. "Zazu," he said. "See to it that Sarabi and I have some

privacy, will you?" he asked.

"Yes, sire," Zazu said quickly. He knew what that meant, and he couldn't

help but let a tiny grin cross his beak. Mufasa noticed the gesture, but

instead of reprimanding the hornbill, he merely echoed the tiny grin and

then turned toward the cavern. Zazu flew to the top of the cave entrance

where he would stand guard for his king.

Mufasa turned and entered the cave. Fox began to follow, but Zazu stopped

him short. "And where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I…" Fox started.

"Mufasa said he wants privacy," he declared. "I.E., no 'you'." Then he

muttered. "Feather collection indeed! Filthy human."

Fox wasn't sure why the king had wanted to be left alone, but he accepted

it on face and descended from the Rock. He was interested in looking

around. Mufasa had told him that a Sarafina would show him Pride Rock, but

he had no idea who Sarafina was. He sat down at the base of the incline and

waited. Minutes passed before a lioness came down the incline from the Rock

smiling. He recognized her from the plains. When she reached him, she

spoke. "You're Fox."

"Sarafina, I presume?" What a line! he thought. Just like in the movies.

The lioness smiled warmly. "So you can talk…"

Fox smiled shyly. "I suppose so." Sarafina looked at him with amazement and

shook her head. Finally, she spoke. "You should forgive Zazu," she laughed.

"He doesn't like humans very much. They did some pretty awful things to

Mufasa's brother and Zazu's never forgiven them for it."

"And what about you?" Fox asked. "Do you not like humans very much?"

The lioness shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know any humans," she said.

"None other than you. You don't seem all that bad."

Fox smiled. "That's nice to hear," he said. Since his plane had crashed,

he'd been threatened by a lion, attacked by a lioness and a pack of hyenas,

and insulted by a blue hornbill, and all of this solely because he was a

human. The residents don't think very highly of your kind, he said to

himself. "Well," he said to Sarafina. "Do you mind showing me around? I'd

like to see what's out here."

The lioness smiled back. "Follow me."


	2. The guardian Prophesy: part Two

I hope you guys have been enjoying the story so far :) I present to you the next wonderful chapter in the story

The Guardians Prophesy by D. Ritchie.

Sarabi rested peacefully next to Mufasa after what had been an intense

workout. She cuddled beside him, delighting in his delicate touch and

warmth. She was finally where she'd wanted to be for so long. Something was

troubling her, though. "Mufasa?" she asked.

"Hmmm?" the lion replied, burying his nuzzle in the crook of her neck.

"You said that Fox saved your life," she said, pausing. "Did he?"

"Yes," he responded softly. "He did." He explained further. "The group I

was hunting wounded me and then left to gather their pack and cubs to kill

me. Fox arrived moments after they'd left. He wrapped this… bandage around

my wound and protected me from the hyenas while I recovered." The more he

thought about it, the more he thought about the Guardian Prophesy from so

long ago. It was as though Fox had been sent to protect him.

Sarabi wasn't thinking about prophesies. She'd nearly lost her beloved

Mufasa before they'd even had the chance to wed. She also felt guilty about

attacking Fox. Sarabi was a ferocious enemy, but she was fair, and she

didn't like the idea of having attacked a friend. I'll make it up to him,

she decided. Later. She turned her attention back to Mufasa. "How long do

you intend to keep him here?" she asked.

Mufasa thought about this. "I'm not keeping him here," he said finally. "He

can go whenever he wishes, but I suppose he can stay as long as he likes."

He paused for a moment. "I'd prefer it if he did."

"Mufasa," she replied. "Have you thought about the consequences of a human

in the Pridelands? What'll he eat? Where will he sleep? How will the

lionesses respond to him?"

"Sarabi," Mufasa said solemnly. "He saved my life. I owe him everything. I

can't turn him away because the lionesses are uncomfortable."

Sarabi knew he was right. She always repaid her debts, and she knew Mufasa

did as well. This debt, though, was enormous. There really was no way he

could repay the human for his life. "So he stays?" she asked.

"Yes," Mufasa replied. "He stays. He'll sleep in the lioness' den, and

we'll provide him food. You can handle that, can't you, my love?" he asked,

smiling.

"Hmmm…" she said with mock concentration as nuzzled his cheek. "Maybe… if

you don't tire me out…"

"Well, in that case," Mufasa said, smiling back. "He may have to go hungry

for a while…"

News traveled quickly in the Pridelands, and soon, Pride Rock was buzzing

with talk of the human. Zazu, for his part, was keeping quiet about what he

knew. He didn't like humans, but he hated rumors. "If they want to insult

him," he declared aloud to himself, "they certainly can find enough true

things to say about him without the help of gossip." The lionesses quickly

found out about Fox as well. There was general discontent about a human in

the Pridelands, but when they learned that he'd been responsible for saving

Mufasa's life, their opinion of him quickly changed. All of this occurred

even before Sarafina had finished showing him the highlights of the Pride

Lands.

"It's beautiful," Fox said in awe. "There's nothing like this where I come

from."

Sarafina nodded. "I know. Isn't it amazing?" Fox had been eager to explore

this reservoir of plant and animal life, and now he knew why. The colors

and sights and smells of the place were unlike anything he'd ever seen

before in his life. He was staring down at the canyon that ran west from

the Rock when he noticed a cub approaching him. He couldn't tell whether it

was a male or female, but whichever it was, it was moving cautiously,

obviously uncomfortable with him. "Hey there!" he said, trying to sound as

friendly as he could.

The cub jumped as he spoke. He decided that it was probably a female from

the lighter color coat and the apparent lack of any extra fur around the

head and neck. She stared at him for a moment. "Are you…" she began

bravely. "Are you a human?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied. He had no idea how to announce himself diplomatically,

so he'd opted for the direct approach. "What's your name?" he asked. That's

always a good ice-breaker, he thought.

"Kala," the young cub replied quickly. Fox could tell she was restless with

him. She began to speak again. "Do you… eat cubs?" she asked, backing up,

preparing to run.

Fox laughed. So that's why he was so mistrusted around here. Humans, he

decided, probably bore the brunt of the most accusatory stories. "No," he

said, still laughing. "No, I don't eat cubs. Who told you that?"

"Everybody knows that humans eat little cubs," she informed him

indignantly. She trotted up to him though, walking in a complete circle

around him.

Fox tried to follow the cub with his head, but failed. She was a cute

little thing, he thought. So innocent and friendly.

"Are you sure you don't eat cubs?" she asked again, stopping in front of

him.

Fox reached his hand down to her. She backed away a little, but stopped

herself. She sniffed his hand. Suddenly, without thinking, he began to sing

softly to the cub.

"If I reach out to thee," he started. "Do not tremble and shriek from the

touch of my hand on thy hair." The little cub looked at him strangely, but

started to laugh.

"It's fur, silly!"

"Let my fingers but speak, thou art warm and alive and no phantom to fade

in the air!" his hand reached out and he hoisted the cub up into his arms.

"Dulcinea!" he sang to her. "Dulcinea!" Kala was giggling uncontrollably

now and made no effort to fight him. "I have sought thee, sung thee,

dreamed thee, Dulcinea! Now I've found thee and the world shall know thy

glory…" He smiled softly at her. "Dulcinea," he finished.

Kala beamed back at him. "My name's 'Kala'!" she squealed with delight.

"Whatever," Fox said. He didn't mind making a fool out himself for this

tiny creature.

Kala sighed comfortably as she reclined in his arms. "The others said you

would eat me if I got too close," she explained. She paused for a moment to

think. "Y'know… if you don't eat cubs, I bet you don't cause all that

lightning either, huh?"

Lightning?! Fox thought. He wondered how many frightening phenomenon were

blamed, for lack of a better explanation, on humans. "Nope," he said.

"Look, Kala. You're going to have to forget everything you know… or don't

know… about humans. I have a feeling that what you've heard about us isn't

very true." A troubled expression crossed his face. Kala cocked her head in

curiosity. "Actually, a lot of it probably is true too."

At that moment, a voice cried from the edge of the patch of trees. "Kala!"

it rang out.

"Oops," Kala said. "That's my mom. I've gotta' go!" She jumped down from

his arms and ran off toward the voice. "Bye, human!"

"Fox!" he called back after her. She stopped and looked back at him with a

nod. "Bye, Fox!"

Sarafina approached him from behind. "That was really sweet, what you did,"

she said.

Fox turned around to face the lioness. "Well," he said. "I'd hate to think

that all of these cubs are going to grow up hating humans as much as you

guys did."

Sarafina smiled. True, she thought. They had grown up hating humans. Ahadi

had always told them that humans were destructive, and if they ever found

one, they were to immediately call him so that he could kill it. "We didn't

hate you," she lied. "We're just leery of what we don't know."

Fox didn't pursue the matter. Something else was on his mind. "Forgive me

for asking, but what do you eat around here?"

Sarafina looked up at him, trying to decide what to tell him. "Do you eat

meat?" she asked cautiously. "Or just plants and bugs."

Bugs?! he thought with disgust. Who eats bugs? But then, this was the

savanna, and there were probably animals out here that ate everything.

"Meat," Fox replied quickly.

Sarafina smiled. "Good. We hunt for our food, Fox," she explained. An idea

occurred to her. "Do you hunt?" she asked.

"Me?" he replied, off guard. "Uh… no. I don't. Sorry," he apologized.

"How do you eat, then?" she wondered aloud as they turned back toward the

Rock.

"It's hard to explain," he said. "People hunt for me." That was basically

what it boiled down to, so why were Sarafina's eyes getting so wide? he

asked himself.

"Are you a… king?" she whispered in awe.

Fox chuckled mentally at the notion. "No… why would you think that?"

Sarafina's disappointed was brief but evident. "Oh… we hunt for Mufasa."

she replied. "I just thought…"

So that's how it was, he thought. "Well, things are a lot different where

I'm from. Actually, most people don't hunt. We buy our food with money."

"Money?" Sarafina asked, confused. She'd never heard that word before. Fox

didn't want to explain macroeconomics to a lioness, and so he dismissed it.

The two arrived at the Rock, and Mufasa was outside on what Fox assumed to

be his 'throne'. The 'throne' was a gigantic, distinguished rock that

extended from the side of the king's cave. The two approached the king and

saw that Sarabi was by his side.

"Fox," Mufasa welcomed the human. "So, how do we rate?" he asked with a

smile.

"I've never seen anything like it," Fox answered with a shrug. There was

little else he could say to describe the place. It was so peaceful, so

majestic.

Mufasa was pleased with the review. "It is nice, isn't it?" he responded

humbly. He took a quick moment to appreciate the land that the gods had

given him before shifting gears. He had news for Fox as soon as Zazu

arrived, whom he'd called for minutes ago.

Fox walked near the edge of the Rock, realizing for the first time that

'towering' barely began to describe the Rock. He would have to learn to get

comfortable with heights if he intended to stay here for any length of

time. The land out here had far more rocks and canyons than he'd ever

thought possible, and he had always been uncomfortable with high places.

That's probably not a problem for cats though, he decided. "Too bad I'm not

a cat." He moved away from the edge.

Zazu arrived some moments later. He landed next to Mufasa and nodded to

him, and then he saw Fox. "You again?!" he muttered. Mufasa gave him a

stern look, which was well received. "Oh, all right," he complained. "What

do you need, sire?" he asked politely.

Fox stepped back to the gathering on the Rock. Zazu was still unhappy with

him, he'd noticed. He was about to antagonize the bird when Mufasa spoke.

"I've called you here," he announced proudly, "to declare my intention to

wed Sarabi." He smiled down at the lioness, who smiled back.

Zazu had known this was coming. Everybody had. The real decision had been

made long ago before the two had even begun to think about such matters,

but this was a matter of ceremony. A smile spread across the bird's face as

he looked back and forth between the pair that he'd watched out for through

the years.

"That's wonderful, Sire! I shall make it known throughout Pride Rock that

our king has chosen his queen!"

"Please do that, Zazu," Mufasa said. The bird flapped away with elation.

With his propensity to speak, Fox thought, it wouldn't take long for Zazu

to tell the entire world. He told Mufasa so.

"You should lighten up on him, Fox," Mufasa said. "I've known him almost

all of my life, and you'll never meet a more loyal friend."

"Gee," Fox said sarcastically. "I've never had a friend like him before."

"Give him time," Mufasa urged. "He'll warm up to you."

Fox decided that Mufasa deserved the benefit of the doubt. He nodded and

looked over at Sarabi, who was laying on the Rock. "Looks like I showed up

just in time," he smirked. "So, when's the wedding?"

Mufasa raised a curious eyebrow. "That was it," he said simply.

Fox thought about this for a moment. Apparently the Pride didn't tend to

stand on ceremony. He let out a slightly disappointed sigh. "Oh… I was

hoping I'd be the best man," he said in a feeble attempt at humor.

Although Mufasa clearly didn't understand the concept of 'best man', he

understood the feeble attempt at humor. "Don't worry, Fox. You were the

only man," Mufasa consoled with a chuckle.

"I guess so," Fox said, shaking off his mock disappointment. "Well,

ceremony or no, I'm real happy for you two. You make a great pair."

"Thank you," Sarabi replied with a smile. She was becoming more and more

comfortable with Fox every minute. While she was thinking about him,

something else crossed her mind. "What do you need as far as food goes?"

she asked, remembering her conversation with Mufasa earlier.

"Hmmm? Oh, food," Fox replied, trying not to sound eager and failing.

"Well, what have you got?" He didn't like asking, but he was getting hungry

and he had no means of feeding himself.

"You name it," Sarabi prompted.

Steak! Fox's mind shouted. No, wait! They don't have steak! Lobster! No,

that won't work either! Fox shook his head, trying to think of what they

did have… nothing he really wanted, he decided. Finally, he smiled back.

"I'm partial to zebra," he said wryly. Sarabi's grin told him that she

understood his sarcasm. He wasn't partial to anything.

After a moments thought, she spoke again. "Perhaps you'd like to join us in

the hunt?" Sarabi ventured.

Mufasa looked at Fox, who's handgun, he knew, was still in the bag he was

carrying. "Better not," he interrupted. "You stay here, Fox."

Fox understood his concern. Mufasa didn't want any magic… er firearms used

for hunting. It wasn't natural, he knew, and it made the king

uncomfortable. Aside from that, he didn't want to use what little

ammunition he had left. Fox nodded in consent to Mufasa. "Sorry, Sarabi,"

he said smiling. "Dad says I can't come out an' play."

"Okay, you two," Sarabi laughed. "I'll be back as soon as I can." As she

passed Mufasa, she whispered. "Maybe sooner." He smiled knowingly, but Fox

hadn't heard the comment. He was looking back over the plains below. Mufasa

moved to the end of the Rock and sat next to him. Ahadi's story popped back

into his mind.

"So you are the king," Fox said, gazing over the Pridelands.

"That's what they tell me," Mufasa replied. He looked up at Fox. "Have you

ever heard of the Guardian Prophesy?" he asked suddenly.

Fox hadn't. "No," he said, looking down a moment later. "No, I haven't.

Why?"

It was worth a shot, Mufasa thought. "I hadn't thought so. It's nothing.

Just wondering." The two looked back out over the Pridelands. After a

moment, Mufasa realized something. "You haven't yet met Rafiki, have you?"

"No, though you said something about him two days ago. He's some sort of

monkey, isn't he?" Fox asked.

"Oh, he's so much more than that," Mufasa smirked. "Come with me."

Rafiki sat high in his tree, cross-legged and contemplative. He was roused

from his meditation when he heard someone coming. "What is this?" he

wondered, rising and walking over to the edge of the tree trunk. There,

down below, he saw Mufasa and… a human? It had been a long time since

Rafiki had seen a human, and he knew that they could be trouble. The

mandrill had always subscribed to a non-judgmental philosophy regarding

other creatures, though. He sized up the human. If Mufasa was allowing him

to live, Rafiki thought, then he must be quite a remarkable individual

indeed. He descended to meet the pair.

"Rafiki," Mufasa said, approaching the mandrill as he moved down the tree.

"There's someone I'd like you to meet."

"Yes, yes," Rafiki said, moving straight past the king up to the human.

"This human," he said. "Yes, I know. So human," he said, squinting

suspiciosly. "What is your name?"

"Fox," Fox replied, squinting suspiciously back.

A hearing human, Rafiki marveled, careful not to let his amazement show.

This is certainly something new. The animals could normally understand what

humans said, but humans couldn't understand animals… usually. "Fox?!"

Rafiki mused. "That's not a human name. Humans have big long names that

wind on forever like snakes! What is your real name, boy?" he asked,

laughing as he usually did when asking such questions.

Fox looked at him strangely. How did he know that? Fox asked himself. "My

real name is Palafox," he muttered. "Palafox Aegisthus Sears." Mufasa did a

double take and tried to stifle a snicker. Three names? Fox's accusing

glare forced his silence.

"Ahhhh," Rafiki said, ignoring Mufasa's reaction. "That is more like it!

You humans need three names for just one creature. Crazy!" he laughed.

Aegisthus? he wondered.

"Yeah," Fox said, again shooting an annoyed look at Mufasa, who shrugged

helplessly back. "That's pretty crazy." It wasn't crazy at all, Fox

thought. Stupid little monkey.

"What does it mean, boy?" Rafiki asked with actual interest.

Fox dismissed the issue. "It means my parents did an awful lot of drinking

and thought they were pretty funny."

Rafiki shook his head. "No… the name tells us who you are. It tells us what

you are."

"Okay then," Fox spat. "I'm a Palafox. Any idea what that is?"

Rafiki pursued the matter no more and shook his head. All of the names of

nature's children were given by the gods. They all carried special meaning

for the creature. If the human was named by the gods, then his name carried

the same special meaning… or maybe it was his parents' fault.

"So, Palafox Aegis-" Rafiki began.

"Fox," Fox said with irritation. "Call me Fox."

Rafiki smiled approvingly. "Yes. Fox. So… What are you doing here? You're a

long way from home."

"Yes, well," Fox said. "My Cessna crashed and I—" he stopped. He was

speaking to a monkey, he remembered. "Forget it. Your not going to

understand it at all."

"No, go on," Rafiki prompted him. Fox eyed him suspiciously.

"Okay. You asked for it. I crashed here. I saw Mufasa's wound and I used

the morphine and bandage from my medical bag to help him, and then he

brought me here," Fox finished. "There were some things in between, but

that's basically it."

Rafiki smiled at him crazily. "That makes no sense at all!" he proclaimed,

swinging his arms wildly.

"See, I told you," he said shaking his head as Rafiki laughed crazily.

"See? I told him," he offered to Mufasa, who shrugged and nodded

helplessly. There was no way this monkey could have any idea what he was

talking about.

"Why would you go near a lion? It's ridiculous! He could have eaten you in

a single bite!"

Fox offered a courtesy laugh and nothing more. "Yeah… pretty ridiculous."

Who was this monkey? Fox asked himself. "You know an awful lot about humans

for a monkey," he said. He couldn't believe how bizarre that had sounded,

but it didn't make it any less true.

"Ah, yes. Old Rafiki knows much of your kind," Rafiki said. "And you know

very little of us. Why did you help Mufasa, Fox?"

Fox pondered this for a moment. "I… felt… sorry for him, I guess," he said

finally. "He was hurt, and I knew I could help him. So I did."

Rafiki nodded. This human had compassion, too, he thought. Another rare

trait for the breed.

At this point, Mufasa interrupted. "Fox, could we have a moment alone?"

Fox was glad to get away from the conversation. "Sure. Have a ball," he

said, heading over to the mandrill's tree. He pretended to look around at

the scenery, but was careful to overhear what was being said. It was

probably about him.

Mufasa moved in closer. "Rafiki," he began. "I actually came here to ask

you a question. It may sound kind of silly to you, though." Fox strained

and could just barely make out what was being said.

Rafiki turned to him and frowned. "No, young Mufasa. It is silly to not ask

a question."

Mufasa sat down. "Did my father ever tell you stories?"

"Your father?" Rafiki asked. "Of course! He used to tell them all the time!

That was your question?" he asked. "There's nothing silly about that!"

"No," Mufasa said, whispering now. "Did he ever tell you a story about

something called the Guardian Prophesy?"

Rafiki squinted his eyes as if trying to remember. He looked Mufasa

squarely in the eye. "The Guardian Prophesy," he repeated.

"Yes," Mufasa reiterated. "Please try to remember."

"Hmmmmmmmmm…" Rafiki said. "Nope!" he cried finally. "Nothing about that!"

Mufasa was visibly disappointed. Rafiki spoke out again. "But I told him

stories of the Guardian Prophesy," he said, smiling.

Mufasa's tail twitched and his ears perked. "You?" he asked. "Father said

that his dad told him."

"Kings are not the only ones who know stories, young Mufasa. I told your

grandfather the same story when he was young as well."

"So you know about the Guardian?" Mufasa asked eagerly.

"Yes, of course," Rafiki replied.

"Rafiki, could he?" Mufasa pointed to Fox, who was observing the wildlife.

"Could he be the Guardian?"

A wide smile crossed Rafiki's face. "Him?! The human?!" he laughed. "Does

it look to you like he can fight the sun?" the mandrill laughed.

Mufasa wasn't quitting yet, though. "Rafiki, no one can fight the sun!

That's just cub-talk! Come on, now! He can speak to us and understand us.

He saved me from a pack of hyenas, and he fell out of the sky. Does that

sound like a coincidence to you?"

Rafiki was unconvinced that a human could be the Guardian, although it

would explain a few things. He grabbed a gourd from the tree and tossed it

up in the air. It fell and cracked on the ground. "Look, Mufasa," he said.

"Just because the gourd falls from the sky, it does not mean that it is

sent from the heavens."

Mufasa still wasn't giving up. "Maybe so, Rafiki, but just because it's a

gourd doesn't mean that is isn't sent from the heavens."

Rafiki blinked. Mufasa was right. A human could be the Guardian. It would

certainly be consistent with the inconsistency of Fate. He stared down at

the gourd, and then back at the Fox, and then finally to Mufasa. "I'll

think about it," he said.

"Thank you, Rafiki." Mufasa wanted the truth about Fox. He was no ordinary

human. There was something very different about him.

Rafiki climbed back into his tree and disappeared in the branches high

above. "Where's he going?" Fox asked, noticing that the mandrill ascending

his tree once again.

"He's a very busy baboon," Mufasa smiled. "Come on," he said. "The

lionesses should be done with their hunt by now." Fox needed no second

invitation. He was starving. The two walked back toward Pride Rock.

Rafiki sat high in his tree, looking down at the human. It was true, there

were some very strange things about him. Very strange indeed. He cracked

another gourd open and laid it on the ground. Pouring a measured handful of

dust into it, he began to meditate once again.

"Your favorite," Sarabi chimed from behind Fox as the Pride gathered to

eat.

Fox stared in disbelief. "A zebra?" he groaned. Sarabi obviously

misunderstood his response.

"Of course!" she sang as she moved in behind Mufasa. "Enjoy!"


	3. Chapter 3

My apologies for how late this is! This story is getting more interesting every chapter. The next and last chapter will be out probably this week, I'd say the weekend.

Cmon everybody. Where are the reviews!? I am curious as to what you think of the story. You should share your opinion of it, especially when the last chapter comes out. Anyways, without delaying you all any longer, I give you

The Guardian Prophesy (Chapter 3) by D. Ritchie

Forcing aside his squeamishness, Fox paid close attention to the feeding  
rituals of the Pride. He noticed that Mufasa was the first to feed. He  
assumed that the male would always be the first to eat. He had no idea  
where he was in the pecking order of food, and he didn't want to impose, so  
he waited until everyone was finished.

He approached the zebra carcass. There was still a lot of meat on the  
animal, but the thought of eating raw zebra made Fox's stomach turn. He  
needed cooked meat… he needed a fire. After a quick look around, he saw  
tinder brush that he could use, and he gathered it together. He had enough  
matches in his emergency bag to last him a couple weeks, and he assumed  
that would be sufficient. Mufasa watched him curiously as he piled the  
wood.

"A human ritual?" he asked Fox.

"In a manner of speaking…" Fox said, running a match across the rough box  
surface. It ignited. "…Yes."

Mufasa's eyes widened in shock, but he remained calm. "Fox?"

"Yes?" Fox replied, turning to his lion friend.

"The… uh… stick, Fox," Mufasa stammered. "It's… on fire."

Fox realized that lions – and probably all of the animals in the Pridelands  
– were wary of fire.

"Hey, don't worry," he said smoothly. Mufasa shifted uncomfortably, trying  
to decide what to do.

Fox could tell that he was still uneasy. "Trust me," he reassured the lion.  
"It's under control."

Mufasa recoiled at the assertion. Control? Mufasa wondered. Fox could  
control fire? He inquired about this, and Fox explained how to put out a  
blaze, demonstrating on a small part of his embers. Mufasa was thoroughly  
impressed. Controlling fire was surely something the Guardian would know  
how to do.

The coal-preparing process took almost half an hour, and Fox was starving.  
He went over to the zebra carcass and pulled a large piece of meat from it.  
Impaling the raw zebra on a stick, he set it over the fire to let it cook.

The lion looked on with infinite curiosity. "What now?" he asked. He'd  
never seen such practice before.

"Humans don't hunt their food," Fox explained. "We have it hunted for us  
and sent to us a long way to where we live."

"But if the kill isn't fresh, then you can't eat it," Mufasa pointed out.  
"It rots."

"Exactly," Fox said. "But, if you keep the meat very cold, it doesn't rot.  
Only problem is, when you get it, you can't eat it cold. So you heat it  
with fire."

Mufasa shook his head, trying to comprehend. "Why don't you just eat fresh  
meat?"

Fox thought for a moment. "That's just how it is. That's how we live." He  
looked back at his meat, which was cooking nicely. A couple more minutes,  
he thought. "Mufasa," he said. "What's the Guardian Prophesy?"

Mufasa looked up quickly. He'd must have been listening in on his  
conversation with Rafiki, Mufasa decided. "I'm not sure, Fox. That's why I  
asked Rafiki."

Fox looked him seriously. "You said you thought I was the Guardian. You  
must know something about it," Fox said. "Level with me. If you're gonna'  
sacrifice me to a volcano or something, I wanna' know."

"Nothing like that," Mufasa chuckled. He didn't like keeping secrets from  
his friends, and there was really no reason Fox couldn't know. "It's a  
legend that my father told me when I was a cub. It was about a Guardian who  
protected the gods' children from danger. The story says that the sun  
captured the Guardian and imprisoned him. My father told me that one day, a  
brave young cub would rescue the Guardian from the sun, and then he would  
return to watch over us." Mufasa was slightly embarrassed at the story. "It  
sounds childish, I know," he admitted.

Fox blinked. "That's out there, pal."

Mufasa winced, but retorted. "You freeze your dinner."

"Touché," Fox replied, and it was time to eat. He pulled the meat out of  
the fire and sampled it. His It was by no means the best he'd ever tasted,  
but he was hungry and the food was edible. He swallowed some more. He

thanked Mufasa for the food.

"It's the least we can do," he said. "I want you to know that you're  
welcome to stay here as long as you like," he added. "The lionesses will  
feed you and you can sleep in their cave." Fox wondered why Mufasa wanted  
him to sleep in the lionesses cave. Sarabi arrived and suddenly he knew  
why.

"It's getting late, Mufasa," she said with a wicked smile. She turned to  
Fox. "Did you enjoy your-" she noticed the fire. "Mufasa?" she started with  
concern.

"Don't worry, my love," he cut in. "Fox can control the fire. He uses it to  
prepare his food." He leaned over and whispered in her ear. "It's a human  
thing." Raising an eyebrow, she nodded understandingly.

Fox decided to let the newlyweds be. "I'll just head over to the lionesses  
cave now," he said.

"Sleep well" Mufasa said. Fox extinguished his fire and turned toward the  
cave in the base of the plateau.

"What a strange creature," Sarabi said after he was out of earshot.

"Indeed," Mufasa replied. "He heats his food with fire." He fell into deep  
thought. "So, do you think it's him?" he asked distantly. Sarabi knew what  
Mufasa meant. Recently he'd been pitching the possibility to a couple of  
his closest friends… Zazu, Rafiki, and now her. She didn't know what to  
think. She didn't care right now. There was only one thing that she wanted  
to think about…

"Maybe," she said, rubbing her head under his chin provocatively.

"It would explain why he can talk to us," Mufasa reasoned, paying little  
attention to his mate. "And it would also explain why he can control fire  
and why he fell from the sky." Sarabi made another attempt at capturing  
Mufasa's attention, but to no avail.

"I guess it would," she clipped, starting to get frustrated. Stowing her  
irritation, she softly nuzzled her mate, licking his cheek and lion-kissing  
his face. Mufasa was unfazed.

"And then there's the name," Mufasa continued. Sarabi had had enough. She  
stormed up in front of him as he spoke. "I wonder what Palafox means… or  
Aegisthus… or—"

"—See if you can figure out what this means," Sarabi growled, swatting him  
with her paw. She turned abruptly and stomped back to the Rock. The blow  
had no force in it, but it was sufficient to startle Mufasa from his  
contemplation. A moment's thought led him to realize what had just  
happened.

"Oh…" he muttered. "Uh… Sarabi?" he called out weakly, trotting after her.  
She didn't look back. "Sarabi? My love? I'm sorry…! Wait up!" Sarabi  
ascended the incline and entered the cave, and Mufasa was right behind her.  
As the king and queen disappeared from the plains, night set in and the  
Pridelands became still.

Fox entered the lionesses cave, and there was a sudden pause. The females  
had been talking among themselves, presumably about him. He smiled weakly.  
"Mufasa said I should sleep here."

After a short pause, a cub bounced up to him. He recognized it as young  
Kala. "You can sleep next to me!" she announced. "Will you sing me another  
song?" she asked suddenly.

The lionesses looked up at him quizzically. He shifted uncomfortably. "Uh…"  
he said in embarrassment. "We'll see. Maybe later." Sarafina stood up from  
the Pride and trotted up next to the human.

"You're welcome here, Fox. Please, come in," she said. The lionesses warmly  
added their approval. Fox edged his way in and moved to the back of the  
cave where he sat against the wall. He was uncomfortable being so out of  
place. The lionesses began to talk amongst themselves once again, although  
he heard nothing mentioned about him. Sarafina followed him to his niche.  
"So what do you think?" she asked. He was interrupted by Kala, who pounced  
onto his lap. He petted her head and continued.

"It's great," he said. "I thought I was seeing the whole story from up in  
the Cessna, but this," he said sincerely, gesturing to their surroundings.  
"This you can't see from the sky. It's incredible."

Sarafina smiled. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. If you need anything,"  
she said, "just ask me. We're all glad to have you."

"Thanks," Fox said, unsure of whether or not the lioness meant it. Sarafina  
moved back to the Pride. For the most part, she did mean it. The lionesses  
were intrigued by the human, and the news that he'd saved Mufasa's life  
placed him high in their esteem.

"I'm very glad you're here, too," Kala's little voice said from below. He  
looked down. She was a cute cub, he thought. He wondered which of the  
lionesses was her mother, but he didn't ask.

"Well… thank you, Kala," Fox said warmly. "I'm very glad to be here." What  
else do you say to little kids? he wondered. He wasn't very good with  
children of any kind, and he was trying to muddle his way through. "So," he  
began, trying to generate a conversation. "What's a girl like you doing in  
a place like this?" he asked without thinking. Immediately, he kicked  
himself. That isn't going to work! he thought. It did, though.

Kala snickered. "I sleep here," she said. "But I usually stay outside. I  
don't like it where it's always dark. Sometimes, I go play at the water  
hole. It's really neat there…" The young cub began to tell him about what  
she did all day. Fox was remarkably patient, surprising even himself. He  
listened to every word Kala said, and although he didn't pay any close  
attention to every detail, he managed to respond in the necessary places  
with "That's nice," and "Very good." He liked the little cub. She was more  
open minded than any of the animals he'd met so far. It takes someone so  
young and innocent to be so unprejudiced, he thought. Soon, the lionesses  
were laying down to sleep. He picked up the cub and set her down next to  
him.

"You should go to bed now, Kala," he said.

"Can I sleep here next to you?" she asked. Fox didn't want to be in a  
position where he made any decision for fear of imposing.

"You'd better go sleep with your mother," he said. The cub nodded and  
curled up next to one of the lionesses Fox hadn't yet met. He stretched out  
on the hard rock floor. This will take some getting used to, he thought.  
Despite the floor, he fell asleep almost instantly, having had an active  
day. He woke up only once during the night – at what time he had no idea.  
He noticed that Kala had curled up next to him, though. He thought about  
waking her, but to do so would be to turn away the only friend he'd met so  
far that trusted him entirely. He smiled to himself and reached his arm  
out. Pulling the cub in close, he went back to sleep.

As time passed, Fox became more and more aware that he had no desire to  
leave Pride Rock. The lionesses were more than happy to feed and take care  
of him. Unbeknownst to the human, the lionesses were also growing fond of  
him, particularly Sarabi and Sarafina. He'd already saved Mufasa's life,  
which they respected him a great deal for. Beyond that, though, he seemed  
to fit in very well with the Pride – like one of the lions. In the secrecy  
of sorority, the lionesses decided amongst themselves against Mufasa's  
wishes to drop influential hints to Fox that he might want to stick around.  
Mufasa didn't want to push him either way, and he'd made it clear to the  
Pride that he wanted the decision to be entirely up to Fox. Sarabi had made  
it clear afterwards that they were not to listen to Mufasa, and they'd  
happily decided to follow her lead on that particular matter.

All of this occurred outside Fox's realizations. He was too busy to think  
about it anyway. He'd begun to spend a lot of time with Kala, who always  
wanted to play. Frequently, she'd ask him to sing to her.

"Again!" she begged. "Pleeeease?"

Fox was always happy to oblige. He had become close friends with Mufasa and  
Sarabi, and he'd befriended the Pride as well, but he was more attached to  
Kala than any of them. He always loved to spend time with her, and he was  
never to busy to take her on walks or tell her stories about the human  
world.

He realized that he was contributing nothing to the Pride, and that  
troubled him. It wouldn't have, had he know how they felt, but he didn't,  
and so it did. For now, though, he was happy. He'd even started getting  
along with Zazu.

The turning point for him and the bird had been a territorial argument that  
Zazu had been mediating. Fox, who'd had nothing to do for the time being,  
followed the bird to his negotiation. Apparently, two groups of meerkats  
had been disputing over land. This was all very amusing to Fox, who'd never  
once in his creative thinking conceived of territorial mediations between  
animals. It was something you'd see only on Sesame Street, but here it was,  
happening. He felt like Gulliver, experiencing an amazing world of  
unbelievable things that no one would ever believe him about. The  
Lillyputians were going at it hard, too.

Zazu had reached a reasonable agreement on both sides, dividing the land up  
to share equal resources. One of the two factions was unhappy. Claiming  
that they had nested in the area first, they demanded nothing less than  
three-quarters of the land, or what Fox perceived to be three-quarters.  
Zazu argued persistently that this was unacceptable, but the meerkats  
threatened to feud, which was precisely what Mufasa had told Zazu to  
prevent. It became obvious to Fox that Mufasa's job was not only to rule  
the land, but to maintain order as well. In that respect, he was not unlike  
the human kings of Medieval Europe. Zazu, he noticed, was reaching wits  
end. He felt sorry for the bird, who he knew had worked feverishly for days  
trying to decide how to fairly divide the land. Fox decided to do everyone  
a favor. He reached down and grabbed the belligerent meerkat, careful to  
hold his thumb over its strong jaws.

"Listen," he said seriously. "Zazu's given you far more than you deserve,  
you little bastard. King Mufasa told me that he wants this issue resolved  
stat, and if it isn't, then we get to hand the territory to whomever we  
like." His eyes narrowed to slits. "We don't like you."

The meerkat had no idea what a 'bastard' was, but given his position, he  
was inclined to agree that he was indeed a little one. Zazu was looking up  
at Fox with great concern. This wasn't diplomatic at all. "Fox?" he asked  
anxiously. The human wasn't finished though.

"Not only that," he continued. "I'll see to it that the King puts me  
personally in charge of all territorial mediation, and you'll be lucky to  
find a swamp that I can't kick you out of! Get it!?" He doubted whether  
Mufasa would put him in such a position, but he spoke with fake sincerity.  
He was overplaying his hand heavily, although the meerkat didn't seem to  
notice. Instead, he nodded eagerly. Fox set him down next to Zazu again.  
The furry lemur spoke quietly.

"The fifty—fifty arrangement is… satisfactory," he said quietly. Zazu  
smiled.

"Very good," he said. "Then it's settled. I don't want to hear any more  
disturbances from you two," he said to the faction delegates. Once they  
were safely away from the disputed land, Zazu opened up on Fox. "Who do you  
think you are?!" he asked incredulously. "If Mufasa finds out about this,  
he'll have my head! Where did you learn diplomacy, anyway?!"

Fox defended himself adamantly. "You weren't getting anywhere. I thought  
I'd try. It worked, didn't it?" he asked innocently.

Zazu's angry expression slowly turned to one of amusement. "Yes," he said  
finally. "Yes, it did work." He thought for a moment as he eyed the human.  
"I won't tell Mufasa if you won't."

"Deal," Fox returned, grinning.

"Just the same, though, Fox?" Zazu began.

"Yeah?" Fox replied.

"Leave the negotiations up to me from now on, okay?"

"Fair enough," Fox said. The two put their disagreements behind them and  
became fast friends after that. Fox stopped referring to him as 'bird' and  
'blue-thing', and Zazu stopped calling him a 'filthy human'. A definite  
start in the right direction.

Roughly two weeks after he'd put in on, Fox removed Mufasa's bandage from  
the wounded leg. He was unsure about how well the wound would heal, but he  
was pleasantly surprised.

"Hold still!" Fox demanded as his survival knife sliced through the  
bandages.

"I'm trying to!" Mufasa growled. "You're jerking my leg around."

Fox tried to be more careful. "If I cut you with this," he said, nodding to  
the knife, "the wound will be worse than when I put this thing on."

Mufasa sat without moving as Fox worked as quickly as he could. "There!"  
the human said triumphantly, severing the last piece of the bandage. It  
fell away to reveal Mufasa's leg. Some of the fur had died away from lack  
of oxygen, but Fox assured him that it would grow back. He was more  
interested in the wound itself. It seemed to have healed completely, Fox  
marveled. There wasn't even a scar. "This looks really good," he said  
finally. "Should be business as usual for you now."

Mufasa looked down at his leg. It felt normal. He'd been able to walk  
normally for a couple days, but Fox had insisted on keeping the bandages.  
He smiled. "Thank you again, Fox," he said.

Fox grinned back. "My pleasure. It isn't everyone who gets to play doctor  
for a king."

Despite Fox's deepest affection for Kala, he found that she had a maddening  
habit of seeking him out when she had ponderous questions. To make matters  
worse, Kala seemed to be an expert on asking questions that had no answers…  
deep questions… questions that kids should only ask their parents.

"Fox?!" Kala cried out as she raced out through the plains. She'd been  
thinking all morning, and she had finally come up with a really good  
question – or in Fox's case, a really bad one. Fox had been returning from  
the water hole when he heard Kala's call. His first reaction was to shout  
back, but then he realized what she probably wanted. He darted to the  
nearest tree and made his best attempt to climb up into the concealing  
branches above.

"I don't know why you only have two eyes!" he muttered. "I don't know why  
you're a girl instead of a boy!" He reached the hidden branches of the tree  
and positioned himself so that he would be invisible from the ground. "I  
don't know why Mufasa and Sarabi spend so much time in their cave…" Well,  
he did know that one, but he wasn't going to tell her.

"Fox?" Kala called out again. "Where are you?" Fox was resolute, though. He  
wasn't coming out. Under no circumstances would he show himself.

"Please come out!" she pleaded. No! Fox thought. Don't beg! It won't do you  
any good.

Kala stopped and sat down, mewling dejectedly. "Please?" she whimpered. Fox  
cursed at himself. Be strong! You're a man! You know what's going to  
happen, he screamed in his mind. You know!

"Don't you like me anymore?" she cried, flattening her ears and slumping  
her head to the ground. It was too much for Fox to resist. For some  
inexplicable reason, Kala had managed to do what no other force in the  
universe could do… she could break his will in half without even trying. As  
if possessed by tiny little devil-cubs with huge, sweet blue eyes and light  
golden-brown fur, he slid down the tree and scooped up his little girl.

"Of course I do," he said, rubbing her neck and scratching her head. Fox's  
descent startled the cub, but she kept her composure, managing another tiny  
mewl as Fox picked her up.

"Reeeeealy?" she asked with her best sad-cub face.

"Absolutely," Fox replied with determination. He was coming to realize that  
while Mufasa was a master at fighting and the lionesses were masters at  
hunting, their natural ability paled in comparison with Kala's knack for  
manipulating him. It was uncanny. Even worse, she knew it, and so usually  
got her way when she asked Fox.

"Well… okay," she said finally, exceedingly proud of her performance. "I  
have a question."

Like a faucet, the charm that was flowing from Kala was turned off, and Fox  
immediately came to his senses. He'd been had! Again! he realized. Played  
like a harp! Still, what could he do? With resignation, he let out a long  
sigh.

"Okay, Kala. What's your question?" He was sure he didn't want to hear it.

"Are you sure you want to hear it?" she asked.

"Of course," Fox lied. He felt powerless to say no to those big blue eyes.

Kala shifted uncomfortably a little bit it his arms. Fox wondered why, but  
he knew immediately when she spoke. "Does it hurt when you die?" she asked.

Fox was taken completely off guard by the question. "Huh?" he answered.

"You know… when you die. Like the antelope and zebras and stuff we eat."

"I don't know, Kala," Fox replied. For the first time ever, he wished he  
had an answer for her. "I've never died."

Kala swatted him playfully. "I know that. But you know everything… I bet it  
does." Fox reached down and scratched under the cub's neck.

"You shouldn't worry about that stuff," he said. "You're too young to worry  
about that."

Kala moved into more discomforting territory. "Am I gonna' die?" she asked.

"Er… well…" Fox stumbled. "Yes – but not for a real long time." He could  
tell that she was disappointed and even a little scared. He explained  
further. "It's just part of life… like growing up. Everybody dies."

"Even you?" she asked sadly.

"Even me, kid," he said, rubbing her head. "But not for a real long time."  
He realized that Kala would be long dead by the time he died, as lions in  
the wild rarely lived beyond fifteen years. He didn't like to think about  
that, though.

Kala looked distressed over the revelation. "I don't wanna' die, Fox," she  
said. Fox's heart ached for his little girl, but he could do nothing more  
than hold her.

"Why don't we go do something?" he asked. "Just you and me?" Kala shrugged  
a little.

"Can we go to Paris?" she asked. A while ago, Fox had found a hidden alcove  
on the stream that fed the water hole. It was far out of the way of the  
plains and no one else ever went there, so Fox had decreed it their  
'special place'. They spent a lot of time there, and they never told anyone  
where they'd been. That's why Paris was so special. 'We'll always have  
Paris' Fox would say frequently with a laugh, and although she didn't  
understand what that meant, she always laughed along. When Fox laughed, it  
made her laugh too.

"Of course," he said kindly. "You know what I always say?" he asked as he  
carried her toward the stream. He didn't even have to finish. A tiny smile  
broke out on the cub's face, and Fox knew that everything was okay. Kala  
never mentioned dying again, and Fox never thought about it after that.

In the weeks that followed, things ran smoothly. Fox helped Zazu with his  
daily rounds. He played with Kala and the other cubs. He always ate well –  
Sarabi had seen to that. He still cooked most of his food, which was still  
puzzling to the lioness, but she never mentioned it. One night, he'd felt  
particularly adventurous, and decided to try the meat raw.

"Do it!" Kala had urged him. He didn't want to disappoint his little  
friend, but he also didn't really want to taste the uncooked meat. He tried  
to explain that humans needed to cook their food before they ate it, but  
Kala wasn't taking excuses. "Come on!" she pushed. "Don't be a sissy!"

"Okay… Okay…" Fox said, immediately wishing he hadn't. Kala brought him a  
large chunk of wildebeest. Among the things he'd had to eat out here,  
wildebeest was his favorite. It wasn't steak or a hamburger, he thought,  
but it was better than everything else. He picked the meat up in his hands.  
It was still warm. "I can't believe I'm about to do this," he groaned, but  
curiosity got the best of him, and he sampled a small piece. It was gummy,  
and the texture was terrible, but once he got past the initial distaste, he  
realized that in tight situations he could depend on such food. To Kala's  
delight, he finished the meal that night without cooking. After that,  
though, he decided to only eat raw meat when he absolutely had to. He was  
proud of himself anyway.

Sarabi would want to see this, he knew. He'd seen her stare with a puzzled  
expression at how he cooked his food, and he knew it struck her as odd.  
Since I tried the meat raw, maybe she'll give my cooking a chance, he  
mused. Then he noticed that the lioness hadn't come to eat that night. He  
looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Kala?" he asked suddenly. "Where's Sarabi?"

Kala looked up from her dinner and glanced around. She thought for a  
moment. "Don't know," she declared and went back to eating.

Nobody knew, he'd found from asking around. They didn't seem worried, so he  
assumed that this happened frequently. Still, he thought, I'd better go see  
what's up. He ascended the incline to the Rock, where Mufasa was sitting  
outside of his cave, gazing over the land as he frequently did. Tonight,  
though, his solemn, pensive expression was replaced with a wide smile.

"Mufasa?" Fox started. He didn't want to interrupt the lion, but he thought  
it would be best. Mufasa turned to him.

"Yes, Fox?" he replied kindly. "What can I do for you?"

"It's Sarabi," Fox said. "I haven't seen her…" he thought for a moment.  
"All day, come to think of it," he finished. He'd expected Mufasa to be  
concerned, but instead, the king beamed at him.

"Come here, Fox," he said, his voice full of pride. Fox followed Mufasa  
into the cave, where Sarabi was laying on the ground asleep. She looked  
just a little different, Fox thought. Ever so slightly, almost  
unnoticeably, she appeared to have gained a little weight. "What," he  
asked, confused. "Is she on a diet?"

"No," Mufasa said, staring proudly at his mate. "She is with child."

Fox was startled by this, but a huge smile found its way to his face.  
"Mufasa, you Casanova!" he laughed, punching the lion playfully on the  
shoulder. "That's great!" Cubs, Fox grinned. His friend was going to be a  
father, and he was going to be a… well… kind of godfather. "So," he asked  
anxiously. "How long?" He knew that incubation for lionesses was about  
three months - a National Geographic Explorer fact – but he wanted to know  
for sure.

"A while," Mufasa said. "Not until the rain season is over."

A little less than three months, Fox thought to himself. He looked back at  
his friend. "Wow, Mufasa. This is heavy," he said. He was grinning  
uncontrollably.

Mufasa, he knew, was going to make a good father. He envied the cub for the  
kind of care he would receive from the king. Fox himself had never been  
very close to his family, but he knew instinctively that Mufasa would be a  
family man… er lion. "Does she need anything?" Fox asked. "Food or  
something? I can bring her some food."

Mufasa shook his head. "I've already taken care of that, he said.

Of course he had, Fox thought. Mufasa would be hyper-attentive for the next  
three months. As it should be. "Well, does anyone know yet?" he asked.

Mufasa shook his head again, and looked up at Fox. "No, not yet. Would you  
find Zazu for me?" he asked. Fox nodded and was off.

"With child!?" Zazu exclaimed in disbelief. "Why… why… I'll have to tell  
the kingdom!"

You always have to tell the kingdom, Fox didn't say. Instead he smiled. "Go  
to it, Zazu!" The bird flapped away as quickly as he could. Mufasa had been  
right. Zazu was a loyal friend. He could tell how proud the bird was that  
his young Master was going to be a father. Zazu had watched him grow and  
helped raise him. Now, the cub would be like his grandchild. Fox began to  
wonder what Mufasa was like as a child. Probably pretty good as far as kids  
go, he decided.

Fox thought about going along with Zazu, but realized that it was getting  
late and it would be dark soon. If he wanted to say goodnight to Kala he'd  
have to hurry back to the cave.

As he entered the cave, he saw that the lionesses were putting their cubs  
to rest. Kala was pestering her mother, Mwanda.

"But he said he'd be here!" she whined. "If I go to sleep, I'll miss him!"  
Mwanda rolled her eyes and tried to console the cub.

"When he gets here, I'll wake you," she offered. "Go to sleep." Kala  
frowned and crumpled angrily to the ground, almost in tears. Fox slid up  
next to Mwanda.

"Hey, cupcake," he said softly. Kala's head snapped up from her sulking.

"Fox!" she burst out. "I knew you'd come to say goodnight! See mom," she  
said, addressing her mother proudly. "I told you!" Mwanda smiled softly.

"That's right," she agreed. "You told me. Now go to sleep."

Kala nodded happily. "Good night, mother," she said. "Good night, Fox." Fox  
bent down and kissed the cub on the forehead.

"See ya' tomorrow, kid," he whispered. The cub laid down comfortably this  
time, curling up into a tight ball. Her eyes snapped shut and she was  
asleep in moments. Mwanda sighed and looked up at Fox.

"She's really taken with you," she informed him. "You're all she talks  
about now."

Fox grinned proudly. "I've never been good with kids," he confessed. "But  
she makes it easy." The two sauntered back to the rest of the Pride and Fox  
sat down next to Sarafina. He'd become closer to the lionesses than with  
any other friends he'd ever had. It was like a clan that he'd been accepted  
into, and once you were a member, you were in for life. He wasn't sure he  
would ever be a member, but despite this, there was never anything but  
hospitality from the Pride.

The social scene consisted of constant grooming and bathing, but the only  
thing Fox was a part of was their evening conversations. Every night they'd  
sit around and talk about a variety of things. Usually the discussion would  
wander until they all decided to go to sleep. Tonight, the conversation was  
about him.

"There he is," Sarafina laughed as she noticed Fox. "We've been talking  
about you."

"Uh-oh," Fox groaned. "What have you been telling them?"

The remark elicited a chuckle from the Pride, but Sarafina had a more  
serious question on her mind. It had been almost two moons – what Fox  
called months – since he had arrived, and she wasn't sure what his plans  
were. She'd heard him talking with Mufasa about the possibility of staying,  
which she was excited about. Although he was a human and although humans  
were usually persona non grata, Sarafina had taken a deep liking to Fox.  
She knew that she would be sad to see him go, so she decided that it was  
finally time to do something. After their brief conversation while Fox was  
putting Kala to bed, she knew she had the consent of the Pride.

"Do you have a family?" she asked, indirectly moving toward a point. Fox  
was taken by surprise at the question.

"Well… yeah, I guess," he replied. He had a mother and a father. That was a  
family, wasn't it?

Sarafina tried to hide her disappointment. "So they probably miss you?" she  
asked. There was a slight hint of dejection in her voice, and immediately  
Fox understood. It hit him like a flash of lighting that maybe nobody  
minded that he was leeching off of the Pride's kills.

"No," he replied. "We were never very close." He knew they were likely  
wondering what his plans were for the future. He'd given some thought  
himself to what his next move was. He didn't like the idea of leaving the  
Pride, but he didn't feel like he belonged. Still, what did he have outside  
of the Pridelands?

Sarafina carried on. "You weren't happy at home?" she asked, angry with  
herself at how happy she was to hear it. Fox shook his head.

"No… not at all," he answered, as much to himself as to Sarafina. He'd  
hated home, he remembered. He'd left with no intention of returning. But  
now that he'd been to Pride Rock, he knew he'd never be satisfied with  
routine flights over the Olduvai Gorge either. Not after he'd learned what  
was actually here. It was a bad situation indeed.

"Why don't you stay here?" Sarafina burst out suddenly. She tried to catch  
herself but was too late. She cringed and her head snapped around to the  
Pride. Until now, they'd been skirting the edge of disobeying Mufasa's  
wishes by interfering in Fox's decision, but she'd just stepped way over  
the line. She expected expressions of shock from her pridemates but was  
comforted to see their reassuring glances of approval. She turned back to  
Fox, whose face was unreadable.

Fox wasn't entirely convinced that it was a good idea for him to stay. "We  
should think about this some more," he responded slowly. Sarafina wasn't  
surrendering.

"What's there to think about?" she asked. "Don't you like it here?"

Fox shrugged his shoulders. "It's great," he answered, at a loss for better  
words. "I've never seen… anywhere like it."

"…and you weren't happy at home?" she continued.

"No, I was miserable," Fox said. Miserable? Sarafina wondered. She decided  
that Fox needed to remember just how miserable home had been. But that  
would be taking advantage, wouldn't it? Nah… She abandoned her attempt to  
be ethical and went for the kill.

"Poor dear, it must have been awful," she cooed, grinning wildly in the  
back of her mind. "Why don't we talk about it?"

Fox shrugged his shoulders once again. Talk about it? "What's there to  
say…?"

{"THIS IS THE PLACE" cue. Introductory hat begins with shuffle beat}

"Tell us everything," Sarafina prompted…

"You want everything?"

"Everything."

"Okay…" {Fox says with a shrug. He steps to the entrance of the cave and  
leans cavalierly against the wall…}

THIS IS THE PLACE (TAKE A LOOK AT THE PRIDELANDS)

FOX: I USED TO LIVE IN CHICAGO

I HAD A JOB AT CHATEAUS

LOUSY PAY

I HAD TO SPEND MY DAY

SELLING WOMEN'S CLOTHES

HATED LIFE TO THE FULLEST

SO I SOLD OFF MY SHACK

I GAVE MY BEST TO THE WEST (AND I) NEVER LOOKED BACK

SARAFINA: {Approaches FOX, indicates outside the cave.}

(BUT) TAKE A LOOK AT THE PRIDELANDS

THE EARTH THAT HEAVEN ORDAINS

(CAUSE IT'S) INCOMPLETE WITHOUT THE STARS OF THE SWEET

SERENGETI PLAINS

TAKE A SHOT WITH THE PRIDELANDS

(AND) BRING YOUR BAGS JUST IN CASE

IF YOU'VE GOTTA' BE SOMEWHERE, THIS IS THE PLACE

FOX: {In realization and slight disbelief}

I'd forgotten how much I hated it…

SARAFINA: {Spoken with a knowing smile}

Awww… It wasn't that bad, was it?

FOX: People are so… dull…

SARAFINA: {Deeply sarcastic}

Gee… you can't mean that!

FOX: Yeah…?

AN EXAMPLE

TELEVISION

WE LOVE (TO) THROW OUR LIVES AWAY

WE JUST SIT AND STARE

IT'S LIKE WE'RE WAITING THERE

TO DIE

IT'S THE GREATEST

EXHIBITION

OF A SAD AND PATHETIC WASTE

SO I PACKED MY STUFF

(I'VE) HAD (IT) THAT'S ENOUGH

GOODBYE

{On "Goodbye", FOX throws his hands  
up in disgust and turns away from  
the cave. SARAFINA moves  
immediately to his side and  
comforts him.}

SARAFINA: NOW YOU'RE HERE IN THE PRIDELANDS

THE EARTH THAT HEAVEN ORDAINS

(CAUSE IT'S) INCOMPLETE WITHOUT THE STARS OF THE SWEET

SERENGETI PLAINS

FOX: {Considering}

TAKE A CHANCE ON THE PRIDELANDS

(NO) TELLIN' WHAT I MIGHT FIND

SARAFINA: {Leads FOX outside. PRIDE follows behind.}

BUT TEN-TO-ONE IT'S MORE FUN

(THAN) WHAT (YOU'RE) LEAVIN' BEHIND

IF YOU'RE LOOKIN'

FOR A REFUGE

THEN YOU'VE REACHED THE RIGHT DOMICILE

JUST TAKE A GLANCE

ALTHOUGH YOU WON'T BELIEVE YOUR EYES

IF YOU'RE SEARCHIN'

FOR NIRVANA

AND YOU'VE (BEEN) AT IT FOR A WHILE

THEN LOOK NO FURTHER,

HERE'S WHAT I ADVISE

DUO: TAKE A LOOK AT THE PRIDELANDS

THE EARTH THAT HEAVEN ORDAINS

(CAUSE IT'S) INCOMPLETE WITHOUT THE STARS OF THE SWEET

SERENGETI PLAINS

SARAFINA: (YOU) COULD STAY HERE IN THE PRIDELANDS

FOX: {Shrugs with acceptance and smiles.}

I'VE ALWAYS WANTED MORE SPACE

SARAFINA: WHAT DO YOU SEE ALL AROUND YOU?

THIS IS YOUR PLACE

PRIDE+DUO: {PRIDE gathers around DUO}

TAKE A LOOK AT THE PRIDELANDS

THE EARTH THAT HEAVEN ORDAINS

(CAUSE IT'S) INCOMPLETE WITHOUT THE STARS OF THE SWEET

SERENGETI PLAINS

TAKE YOUR CHANCE ON THE PRIDELANDS

AND BRING YOUR BAGS JUST IN CASE

SARAFINA: (CAUSE) IF YOU'VE GOTTA' BE SOMEWHERE, THIS IS THE PLACE

FOX: {With decision.}

IF I'VE GOTTA' BE SOMEWHERE, THIS IS THE PLACE

ALL: IF YOU'VE GOTTA' BE SOMEWHERE, THIS IS THE PLACE

{End "THIS IS THE PLACE"}


End file.
